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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Catholics recall Roe v. Wade, prepare for the next challenge

by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 23, 2009

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Matthew Hill, a sidewalk counselor for the Helpers of God's Precious Infants, tells an interfaith gathering that only God can stop the bloodshed of abortion.

Warren — Following Sunday liturgies last weekend, many Catholics across the Archdiocese of Detroit attended prayer services, rallies, marches and vigils to mark the 36th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Others in the area planned to attend the annual March for Life on the anniversary date itself, Jan. 22, in Washington, D.C.

More than 50 million unborn children have legally been killed since the 1973 court ruling. Along with the accompanying case Doe v. Bolton, the court ruled that, in the name of privacy, a woman could legally kill the child within her womb at any time during the nine months of pregnancy.

This year, those who work and pray for the protection of unborn children hoped to raise awareness of a new threat to their cause, just two days before the inauguration of then President-elect Barack Obama, an advocate of abortion rights. During his campaigning, the new president repeatedly promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, legislation that would effectively create a government-protected entitlement to abortion and undo state laws that restrict or regulate abortion across the country.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Dorothy Nowak reads a letter from a woman who regrets her abortion.

"Nobody knows what Freedom of Choice Act really means," said Dorothy Nowak of the Warren-Centerline chapter of Right to Life of Michigan. "Now, we're alerting people to the next challenge."

Nowak, a parishioner of St. Martin de Porres Parish, spoke at an interfaith prayer service hosted at St. Cletus Church. She opened the service reading a letter sent to sidewalk counselors from a woman who had had an abortion, then spent years regretting the child "that could have been."

"That's the reality behind that number — behind that 50 million dead," said Nowak.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Robert Tolnai, a member of the International House of Prayer in Detroit, holds a Bible and bows his head during the opening prayer.

Sent anonymously, the letter was signed, "A friend in Christ."

Matthew Hill, a teacher at University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit and a sidewalk counselor for the group Helpers of God's Precious Infants, gave a reflection during the service. He warned of the reasoning many use to justify abortion — that it's meant for the greater good of society, and that they advocate a woman's "choice" instead of the act itself.

"I can honestly say that I have never seen a woman walk into that abortion mill because she chooses it," Hill said. "They're like lambs led to the slaughter."

In talking about what the pro-life community can do, he said they could offer more prayers.

"We pray for God's mercy on ourselves, on our nation, on our president," he said. "We pray for changes of heart. We pray for experiences of men and women out there, that they may know God.

"It is only God who will bring an end to this shedding of blood." Those at the Warren prayer service said they were there to recommit themselves to fight for the right to life in society.

Those at the Warren prayer service said they were there to recommit themselves to fight for the right to life in society. Some had been praying and working to stop abortion since Roe v. Wade was first decided.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic George Downey and his son, Daniel, bow their heads during at the prayer service at St. Cletus.

George Downey, a parishioner at St. Anne Parish in Warren and a father of four, was at the prayer service with his 9-year-old son Daniel, who has Downs Syndrome.

"Now, worrying about the new president and his feelings of what's going on, this year I've kind of made a commitment, more so, to fight for life," Downey said.

He added that many who find out their children have Downs Syndrome, like his son, choose to kill the child before birth. He hopes talking with, praying with and visiting abortion clinics with his children can help pass on the fight to the next generation. With Daniel, he sees an appreciation from those who are praying near abortion mills.

"People are always happy to see him for some reason," he said.

Theresa Cantlon, who raised seven children and now has 20 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, said her strong feelings lead her to work and pray for an end to abortion.

She says she asks the Lord for mercy for all those involved, because many simply don't understand the evil.

"First of all, you pray for the mother who's going through this, because she knows not what she does," said Cantlon. "When I pray to God, I pray for abortionists, because they know not what they do. And I pray for the world, the politicians.

"It shouldn't be a matter of choice. A mother should know that, if you're pregnant, you're carrying a baby — right? So if you get rid of the baby, you're killing it. To me it seems so simple."

Those trying to build a culture of life in Michigan had a hard time of it in the past year. Not only are most disheartened to see President George W. Bush leave office — he was a staunch supporter of their cause — they also saw the passage of Proposal 2. The state constitutional amendment, voted into law in November's election, banned legal restrictions on the destruction of embryos for research purposes.

When it comes to abortions in Michigan, about 25,000 unborn babies are killed each year. Across the country, according to figures from the Alan Guttmacher Institute — the research arm that collects figures from Planned Parenthood, the country's leading abortion provider — about 1.2 million babies are killed before birth every year.

The National Right to Life Committee, the nation's largest pro-life organization, cites numbers from both AGI and the U.S. Center for Disease Control in its abortion count of 50 million-plus since 1973.

But part of the reason for the rallies and prayer vigils, organizers say, is so that those who hope to save the lives of the unborn aren't either numbed or depressed by the statistics.

As Nowak said in reading the letter from the post-abortive woman to the sidewalk counselors, there's a personal story behind every abortion that always leaves a child dead and often leaves a woman in lifelong agony.

And it's for that child and that woman they must keep praying, and have their voices heard.

"So, how can we answer that woman in the note?" Nowak asked the congregation at St. Cletus. "Yes. We are her friends in Christ."

• Local Pro-life events planned to mark Roe v. Wade anniversary