Roe v. Wade anniversary

Today, thousands across the country marked the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade,  the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion in America.

The anniversary, coming as it did on the week of the presidential inauguration of a pro-choice president, has produced a groundswell of protests, vigils and other activities designed to promote the sanctity of human life.

Here’s just a few examples of the types of activities that are now under way or beign planned:

– Pro-life advocates in about 118 cities across 41 states, plus four Canadian provinces and Austrailia, are preparing for simultaneous 40 Days for Life campaigns from Feb. 25 through April 5. The campaign will consist of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, 40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices and 40 days of pro-life community outreach. Incidentally, those dates coincide with the Christian season of Lent, a fact noted in a recent news release.

“Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, repentance and renewal,” Shawn Carney, spring campaign director said. “It’s a perfect match.”

– As part of the Birmingham Letter Project in Washington, D.C., a prayer vigil at Planned Parenthood was held on Wednesday, along with a March to the White House and the Supreme Court. Today a March for Life was held and Friday, the Rev. Alveda King, niece of slain civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will lead a prayer and memorial service in which 1,400 flowers will be laid in front of the White House to honor the 1,400 black children that die every day from abortion. On Saturday, as part of the project (named after MLK’s famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and coordinated by the Christian Defense Coalition) activists plan to leave pro-life messages and artwork on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.