To note the anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States, several initiatives took place in the Southern Tier speaking out for the unborn. The following were among the activities:
A bus contingent out of St. Mary Our Mother Church in Horseheads journeyed to Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 21 March for Life. Buses have traveled to the march from Horseheads for many years, with Dr. Stephen Spaulding, a St. Mary Our Mother parishioner, coordinating efforts in recent years.
A Litany for Life prayer took place Jan. 21 at St. Mary of the Lake Church in Watkins Glen. Then, the annual Celebrate Life Baby Shower was held there Jan. 22-23 as well as at St. Benedict in Odessa, with collected items donated to the Southern Tier Pregnancy Resource Center in Elmira.
The annual Ithaca March for Life took place Jan. 22 across the street from Ithaca Planned Parenthood. That also is where the spring 40 Days for Life will run from March 2 to April 10, as well as where pro-life advocates pray on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year.
The Jan. 9 bulletin for Elmira’s Parish of the Most Holy Name of Jesus implored Catholics to pray the rosary during the time of the March for Life. Meanwhile, the Jan. 16 bulletin for Steuben County’s Ss. Isidore and Maria Torribia Parish noted that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal No. 373 designates the date of Jan. 22 as an annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.
