Pro-Life 101: Looking back at the movement’s history

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THE COURT CASE

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal and overturned all state and federal laws that outlawed or restricted it.

The case, Jane Roe, et al. v. Henry Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County, resulted in a 4-2 decision by the court. The country was polarized into two camps: pro-life versus pro-choice, or pro-abortion. More than 43 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Norma Leah McCorvey is the woman behind the pseudonym "Jane Roe" in the original court case. McCorvey and her lawyers initially claimed that her pregnancy was the result of a rape and that she should therefore be permitted to have an abortion, although Texas law at the time forbade the procedure. The case was in litigation for three years before reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. (McCorvey carried the pregnancy to term and gave a baby girl up for adoption.)

Since the decision that made her pseudonym infamous, Roe/McCorvey has had what some deem a miraculous conversion. In the 1980s she made her real identity public and wrote two books about her experiences. In 1995, McCorvey converted to Christianity and later became a Roman Catholic. She became an outspoken advocate of the pro-life movement. McCorvey denounced publicly the court's 1973 decision that ruled in her favor. In her book "Won by Love" she wrote: "All those years I was wrong...Abortion – at any point – was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear." She unsuccessfully petitioned the court to overturn the 1973 decision in 2005.

THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT

The pro-life movement was born well before the 1973 legalization of abortion, but since then has gained strength and fervor. The Catholic Church has been staunchly pro-life and anti-abortion from the beginning. A United States Conference of Catholic Bishops document states the Church's position: "Respecting human life excludes the deliberate and or direct destruction of life – and that is exactly what abortion is."

The first March for Life was held on the West steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 22, 1974, exactly one year after the landmark decision that legalized abortion. It was attended by an estimated 20,000 people. Since then, the pro-life movement and the annual March for Life have swelled. Each year pro-lifers memorialize the Roe v. Wade decision with the march. The activities now begin with a rally on the Mall and end on the steps of the Supreme Court. During the rally pro-life politicians and pro-life activists give speeches to energize the crowd and publicly declare their commitment to life.

The number of marchers rose steadily throughout the 1970s and 80s, nearing 100,000 by the 1990s, as the number of abortions in the United States peaked and then began a slow decline. By 2008 the number of marchers had doubled again to more than 200,000.

The Archdiocese of Washington holds an annual youth rally and Mass at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. before the march, a tradition that began in the 1990s at a much smaller venue. Over the years the event has grown tremendously; this year the Verizon Center was filled to capacity with 22,000 people plus 32 bishops and archbishops, three cardinals and more than 300 priests and 700 seminarians by 8:20 a.m. according to Susan Gibbs, the director of communications for the Archdiocese of Washington. Before the Mass began confessions were heard in a restaurant at the arena by 130 priests. In addition to the Mass at the arena, the Archdiocese of Washington also sponsored Masses at three local parishes that were each filled to capacity. Next year, she said, they are already considering having even larger events to accommodate the overflow crowds. Another Mass, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the night before the vigil is also held annually and this year drew an estimated crowd of 8,000 plus hundreds of priests, bishops and cardinals.