‘It’s Cool to be Pro-Life!’
LOWER MANHATTAN — Proclaiming “the future is anti-abortion,” members of a national pro-life group rallied here Wednesday, June 16, to thank champions in the fight against abortion and urge Catholic Church leaders to stand up for the rights of the unborn.
Led by the Students for Life of America organization, pro-life advocates rallied outside the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Mott Street and then walked two blocks to Bleecker Street and stood across the street from a Planned Parenthood Center to pray for the unborn and for the conversion of hearts and minds against abortion.
The participants carried signs reading “Fight for Life and Faith” and “The future is anti-abortion.”
“We live in a very politicized culture right now. But our rally is positive,” said Kate Maloney, the New England Regional Coordinator for Students for Life. “We’re here to thank Cardinal Dolan for staying such a positive, direct presence and for holding that front line so well. And we’re encouraging bishops to hold true to the tenets of our faith. We’re praying for them. We are a church that honors the dignity of human life.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archdiocese of New York, is the former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
The rally — one of seven “Fight for Life & Faith” events that took place on June 16 in cities around the country.
Participants talked about the strength of their movement. Students for Life has 1,400 chapters on college campuses and high schools and has attracted interest from middle school students.
“There’s something so special about kids who understand,” said Lauren Marlowe, Northeast regional coordinator of Students for Life.
The organizers were also eager to combat stereotypes about pro-life supporters.
“The pro-choice side tries to portray itself as being the only side that’s cool for young people,” Maloney said. “But we’re young people. And we’re out here talking about life. It’s cool to be pro-life!”
Catherine Donohoe, president of the Board of Directors of The Bridge to Life, an organization that helps mothers and babies, attended the rally to stand in solidarity with the students.
“It’s so important to support young people. They are the future,” she said. “We have to plant the seeds and find young people to promulgate our mission — offering life- affirming choices to women in crisis,”
Advancements in science and technology are bolstering the pro-life movement, Marlowe said.
“People have said, ‘If there are windows to the womb, it would change abortion drastically.’ We are getting that now with sonograms and ultrasounds,” she added. “Our movement is pro-women and pro-science.”
Following the rally, the participants walked to Bleecker Street to pray across from Planned Parenthood, the organization that is one of the largest abortion providers in the U.S.
“We’re here to pray for attitudes to change,” Maloney said. “We pray that the truth will win out. We pray that hearts will be softened.”
