Today was the 41st
anniversary of the notorious Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. Here in Maine we mark the Supreme Court fiats
(“an exercise of raw judicial power”, as Justice Byron White said) the weekend
before with a rally organized by Maine Right to Life called “Hands Around the
Capitol.”
We started the
day in prayer, appropriately, at St. Mary’s church in Augusta (as a sad
reminder of the
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| Gov. Paul Lepage |
divisions in the body of Christ, our separated brethren attended
a different service in a nearby Protestant church). We then met in the gym next door for a series
of speakers and presentations (all 325 chairs were filled, with dozens
standing; “almost 200 attended”, according to the local news outlets). The crowd included old veterans of the
pro-life movement, but many high school and college aged participants as
well. A highlight this year was an
impassioned address by Governor Paul LePage (see my account here), Maine’s
first and only pro-life governor in the post-Roe era.
Next, the event
from which the rally takes its name. All
the assembled marched down Sewall Street carrying red “Stop Abortion” signs,
toward the State Capitol. Two banners
led the way, one carried by Knights of Columbus, another by a group of college
students. This year a couple came out of
a sandwich shop along the way and applauded. It was appreciated: not all members of the
public we encounter en route are so encouraging. At the State Capitol, as we formed a ring
around the entire building and silently held hands, Fr. Joseph Daniels of the
Diocese of Portland rang a replica of the Liberty Bell on the grounds 41 times,
once for each year since Roe; pro-life state senator Stacey Guerin place a red
rose under the bell each time it tolled.
It was a solemn and moving conclusion, a fitting commemoration to one of
the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.
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| Marchers on their way to the Capitol |
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| Pro-life students at the State House |
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State Senator Stacey Guerin and Fr. Joseph Daniels
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