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Detroit – In addressing the ongoing holocaust that has cost the lives of 36 million unborn children in the United States, Catholics and others who call themselves "pro-life" came together last weekend to reaffirm that they will win the fight against abortion with two weapons.
One is the truth.

The other is the mercy and compassion of the Lord.

A Catholic family from Royal Oak displays a pro-life sign during a Jan. 15 rally at Madonna University in Livonia.

"Each and every one of us is a defender of the defenseless and a voice for the voiceless," said Stephanie Bonacchi, co-chairwoman of the Life Issues Committee at St. Aidan Parish, Livonia, at an evening vigil to mark the approaching anniversary of Roe v. Wade. "Our cause is a moral one, and our goal is not one that we hope to achieve – but which we must achieve."

Roe v. Wade is the decision the U.S. Supreme Court issued in 1973 that declared it a constitutional right for a mother to kill her unborn child. The decision, along with the accompanying decision Doe v. Bolton, has ever since prevented state governments from outlawing abortion for the full nine months of pregnancy.

Approaching the Jan. 22 anniversary of the decisions, those who fight and pray for the end to abortion held gatherings to rally around and pray for their cause.

"We know deep in our hearts that we're going to be around until we bring back respect for life for all human beings, from beginning until natural death," said Diane Fagelman, president of Right to Life – Lifespan, at the pro-life organization's annual rally on Jan. 15 at Madonna University in Livonia. "We are not going to go away."

 

Outside in the freezing  air, on a portable stage flanked by bare tree limbs, 200 were gathered at the rally in front of Madonna University's gymnasium to hear stories of the harm brought about by the lies of abortion.

Carolyn Moorman, 5,  and her father, John Moorman, participate in a pro-life prayer service Jan. 15.

Abortion supporters say that abortion can solve problems for women.
But Cindy Rose-Guiette, a member of Silent No More, a group of post-abortive women who speak from experience against abortion, told a different story. Recounting how a boyfriend in her youth urged her to have an abortion — and how the abortionists gave only vague details of the procedure that she later learned involved sharp blades cutting up her unborn child — Rose-Guiette spoke of the pain it brought her.

"The shame and guilt set in," she said. "And the question 'Why?' needed to be answered more than ever. As time went on after the abortion, I felt so withdrawn from everyone and everything. I was so depressed that I didn't know what I was looking for anymore."

Since, she said she discovered God's forgiveness and presence, which has helped her share her stories with others to bring healing.
Abortion supporters claim that if an unborn child is diagnosed with a medical condition, his or her life won't be worth living.

Jennifer Wakenell, a senior and secretary of the pro-life club at Divine Child High School, Dearborn, disagreed.

Wakenell has Turner's Syndrome, a medical condition that shortens a woman's height and has other medical consequences, including infertility. With this condition, Wakenell said she still makes a difference in the lives of many.

"If an unborn child is diagnosed with a disability, the mother might not be encouraged to have the baby," she said. "If this were true, I would not be here today,… Regardless of strengths and weaknesses, disabilities or not, everyone is special and can make this world truly a better place."

Monika Grzesiak, parishioner at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Sterling Heights, reads an essay at a Jan. 15 pro-life rally.

Abortion supporters also argue that women who are abandoned often have no choice.

But Joanie Barrett, a member of Wayne State University's Students for Life organization, told of how she was volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center when a young lady mistakenly dialed the number to ask how much an abortion costs.

After their conversation, the caller thought about the preciousness of the unborn child, and realized she had the support that she needed to have the child.

"Her baby is due in a month and she's decided to keep it," Barrett said to joyous applause. "It's important to know that all the work that you do is paying off, even if you don't see it directly."

 

Perhaps the most disheartening part of the fight against legalized abortion, abortion opponents say, has been its dishonest beginning.

 

Since the Roe v. Wade decision, it's become public knowledge that the "facts" presented by the pro-abortion side of the case included a grossly overestimated number of illegally procured, and unsafe, abortions. The now infamous "Roe" – Dallas resident Norma McCorvey – in recent years has even spoken out and written against the decision.

Marge Massinilla of St. Aidan Parish in Livonia looks at the People of Life Display in her church's gathering space.

Also – as recently echoed by legal pundits throughout the confirmation proceedings of new U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and associate justice nominee Samuel Alito – many legal scholars who support abortion see the Roe v. Wade decision as seriously flawed.

Facts about abortion played important roles in the rallies and prayer services around the Archdiocese of Detroit last weekend. At the rally, people held posters with pictures of unborn children. And speeches were laced with facts about unborn children – such as how brain waves can be detected at 42 days and an unborn child can suck his thumb and feel pain at eight weeks.

At the pro-life prayer vigil at St. Aidan Church, 33 facts about abortion were read as parishioners placed candles on the alter for each year since the Supreme Court decision. Afterward, attendees viewed an exhibit called People of Life, a series of large photo displays that document the pro-life movement in the United States. It was lent to the parish by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus.

Don Knapp, a parishioner at St. Michael Parish in Livonia read the 33 facts at the prayer service.

He noted how a single fertilized egg contains every detail of how a person will look. He spoke, too, of the tremendous efforts in the state of Michigan people took to outlaw partial birth abortion in 2004.

"There is some hope," Knapp said after the solemn ceremony. "Why? Truth always prevails over falsehood. Love always prevails over hatred. Good always prevails over evil.

"How do I know? How do we know? Because … a man 2,000 years ago told us so."

 

For some women, pro-lifers acknowledge, the truths of abortion come too late. That's when the grace of God's mercy and forgiveness are most important.

While God supplies it, Christians have to be the conduit of that hope and compassion. Msgr. Michael LeFevre, speaking at a Mass in remembrance of the unborn Sunday morning, said the key to bringing healing to post-abortive women is in listening to their stories and understanding their situations.

People of Life The People of Life exhibit, which was at St. Aidan Parish in Livonia last Sunday, is a display documenting the pro-life movement in the United States. It was made on the 25th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. It consists of four semi-circular panels and one four-sided column is sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus. For information about parish hosting of the exhibit, call (202) 541-3070 or visit www.usccb.org/prolife/exhibit.htm.

"They feel broken and estranged because they've been treated that way — broken and left out," Msgr. LeFevre said. "But this is what Jesus modeled for us: Jesus sat with all who came to Him, and He helped transform their lives by listening to them and bringing healing and hope to their lives."

In recent years, the Church has heard more from those who have had an abortion and later found healing, such as Rose-Guiette of Silent No More and those involved in Project Rachel, the Church's healing ministry for post-abortive women.

As many pro-lifers said throughout the day, the idea behind putting an end to abortion is one about recognizing the sacredness of each human life – and that includes frightened and uninformed women who have made mistakes.

"We need to pray for life," said Marge Massinilla, a parishioner at St. Aidan Parish after the evening prayer vigil. "Just today, I had my friend call me – one of my other friend's husband committed suicide. So we have to do something about our ideas about life."

In the end, though, is always hope – if you believe in the goodness of the human heart and follow the example given to us by God, said Monika Grzesiak, a parishioner at Our Lady of Czestochowa, Sterling Heights, who won a pro-life essay contest and spoke at the Right to Life—Lifespan rally.

"Allowing the child to live is the bravest, most unselfish thing a woman could possibly do," said Grzesiak, reading her essay. "And one day, the child will understand and thank her for how she burdened herself to let him live.

"Considering abortion – can you give of yourself to let someone else live? That reminds me of someone who lived long ago."

 

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