With the March for Life just a few short days away, I know that pro-life leaders, organizations, and hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers are in a whirlwind of preparation for the upcoming events. It is with both a mixture of excitement (to see old friends, make new ones and take a stand for life), and great sadness, that we mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. As many of you begin your hectic travels from across the U.S., and even from other parts of the world, to participate in the March for Life events, I wanted to give pause for a second to focus on what I believe is an important part of the March for the movement and the cause of life.
You will be blessed to hear from amazing individuals from across all spectrums of the issue of abortion during the March’s events. From the mothers and fathers who grieve the loss of their children to hearing from leaders about how YOU can get involved, the opportunities to learn and grow are endless. And certainly, with every speaker that you listen to, every workshop that you attend, every step that you take during the March, you are also paying respects to the tens of millions of children whose lives have been lost from that one decision made 39 years ago.
As an abortion survivor, I believe that it is a mighty blessing indeed to not only be alive, but to be a voice for my pre-born brothers and sisters who were not afforded the opportunity at life as I have miraculously been afforded. And on behalf of my 52 million brothers and sisters who were rendered lifeless and voiceless, I want to grant you pause from your busy schedule of preparation for the March to say thank you. Those who have heard me speak know that it is difficult for me to find the exact words to describe what it’s like to be an abortion survivor sometimes. Being a survivor is a blessing, a miracle, it is sometimes a battle, it is always a gift, it is my purpose, it is the root of my passion, and being an abortion survivor is, quite simply who I am. It’s equally as difficult for me, sometimes, to put into words what it means to me to see people fighting for lives like mine every day, and what it’s like to see hundreds of thousands of people converge on Washington D.C. to not only acknowledge what was done 39 years ago through the Roe v. Wade ruling, but to acknowledge the lives of those that have been lost, the lives that have been forever changed, and even those lives, like mine that were meant to be lost but were saved. And I was saved not only by God’s merciful hand, but through the acts and prayers of individuals just like all of you who are heading to Washington.
I have been blessed over the years to not only become acquainted with doctors and nurses who provided care for me after I survived my biological mother’s failed saline infusion abortion, but I have also been incredibly blessed to meet a Priest and over twenty laypeople from the community who used to march and pray outside of St. Luke’s Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa, back in 1977 in order to peacefully protest and offer their intercessions for lives to be saved. It is no coincidence to me that out of a handful of abortion survivors, I hail from none other than Sioux City. The prayers and actions of ordinary people led to an extraordinary thing happening-my survival! I pray that your time at the March further invigorates you to continue to do extraordinary things for lives like mine once you return to your own community.
As a mother and speaker, my schedule doesn’t always allow for me to attend the March for Life, but I can tell you that whether I am there marching alongside you, or I am somewhere else speaking, it brings truly genuine tears to my eyes to see and hear of the number of individuals in attendance, it touches a place deep inside of my soul to know that you are there, taking a stand for lives like mine, and that my preborn brothers and sisters, and all of us as abortion survivors, are remembered.
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