On Saturday, January 21, tens of thousands of pro-lifers came together at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza at the Walk for Life West Coast. This year’s took place in a changed world.
Co-chair Eva Muntean: “For the first time, we stand together at the Walk for Life West Coast in a country where the so-called right to kill an unborn child is no longer the law of the land. This is a battle we have been fighting for 50 years. Tomorrow would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Thanks to pro-lifers and to God Almighty, Roe will not have a 50th birthday….
“All Dobbs means that it is up to each state to decide whether or not to value and protect innocent human life. Some have chosen to do so, others, like our state of California have doubled down on the massacre of the innocents. So, we have much work to do…
The day started with a new Mass celebrated at a standing-room only St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Speakers at the rally included Rebecca Kiessling, an attorney who was conceived in rape. She told the crowd, “I did not deserve the death penalty because of the crime of my biological father.”
Angela Minter, president and co-founder of Sisters For Life, Inc., a post-abortive woman, reminded the crowd “Women do not just show up and have an abortion. Someone needed to enter my world and tell me that you can do it, you can have your baby but there was no one there to do it.”
Shawn Carney, president of 40 Days for Life, noted that across the U.S. pregnancy resource centers outnumber abortion providers 5 to 1.
A group of seven Catholics from Vilnius, Lithuania attended Adoration for Life at Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco. Groups of young people from Cathedral High School in San Diego, St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, and St. Benedict’s Parish in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma were in attendance. About 250 students from Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, helped provide security and led the walk.
A coalition of groups including the Raging Grannies and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence totaling about 75 people, were at the corner of Larkin and Grove Streets, opposite Civic Center Plaza. About 25 pro-abortionists carrying banners of the Revolutionary Communist Party, were at their standard position at Market and Powell Streets.
The protestors were mostly peaceful, although I saw one man throw a cup of water at another man carrying a sign, and then run down the entrance to San Francisco’s subway. Another walk attendee, an older Chinese lady, told me she was hit in the leg by a thrown egg. The lady, who had attended every single walk since 2005, told a police officer about it, and he said, as both laughed, “Too bad it wasn’t hardboiled. You could have eaten it.”
Full videos of the Walk speakers and rally can be seen at the Walk for Life West Coast youtube channel.
I attended for the first time. It was an uplifting spiritual experience.
Did any students or teachers or administrators from Archbishop Mitty High School attend?
Or St. Francis High School?
Or Presentation High School?
Or Archbishop Riordan?
Or Serra High School?
Or Sacred Heart Preparatory?
Or Convent of the Sacred Heart?
Or Stuart Hall School for Boys?
Are those rhetorical questions? Why would Mitty High School faculty, staff or students attend the Walk for Life? Their president, with Bishop Cantu’s blessing, is an abortion advocate herself. Any reason you left Bellarmine and Notre Dame out?
As usual, this was a great inspiration. Seeing the largely young crowd was very encouraging. Mass with the archbishop and other activities were also available. Seeing many priests and religious, many of them young, was also a blessing. May our society return to valuing human life, even its smallest.
Best family event in the bay area by far. It’s a great walk with all kinds of young people and children in prayer and just great talks. To be able to broach a sensitive subject and have all this love and mercy exude from the walkers is fantastic. Thanks everyone who came in and put it on. Thank you God for creating such beautiful people. Choose life, choose love.
The Born Ultimatum.