Launching a Culture of Life: Connecticut March for Life Proclaims Sanctity of All Life

Story by Shelley Wolf

HARTFORD – In a day filled with hope and faith, those who value all human life at every stage brought the passion of the national March for Life to the streets of Hartford in an inaugural Connecticut March for Life.

Busloads of Catholics from parishes and Catholic schools, priests and ministers, religious sisters, foster and adoptive parents and children, pregnancy center staff, Knights of Columbus, and other Christian believers and advocates for life all descended March 23 on the capital city.

Carrying a “Connecticut March for Life” banner, students from St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol led the march chanting “We are the pro-life generation,” as about 2,000 pro-life advocates joined them in circumnavigating Bushnell Park. Connecticut is one of just five states in 2022 to host a March for Life organized with help from the national March for Life team.

The marchers hoped their presence would make it known to all, especially the state’s legislators, that there is a sizable group of people in the state who value all human life at every stage, from conception to natural death, and that life is a gift worth protecting.

The march around Bushnell Park followed a spirited pro-life rally at noon at the State Capitol building, where pro-life advocates gathered on the plaza and north lawn to hear Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of the Archdiocese of Hartford and other invited speakers.

“Restore to our state, our nation and our world, we pray O Lord, the birthright of every human being, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with our eyes fixed on life unending in the world to come,” Archbishop Blair said in his opening prayer.

The meaning of the Connecticut March for Life and the day, the archbishop said, is to uphold life and mercy.

“What is most fundamental to our being here today, and to our witness, is that we are pro-life,” Archbishop Blair stressed, to the sound of applause and cheers. “Your posters say ‘Love Life, Choose Life.’ That is what is bringing us together this day, to oppose all those attacks against life, particularly through abortion on demand in this country.”

Regarding mercy, Archbishop Blair referred to Pope Francis, who called on the Catholic Church to provide “a field hospital for the wounded.”

The archbishop credited groups such as Project Rachel and Walking with Moms for providing healing ministries to women and men who have experienced the emotional pain of abortion. “Our hearts go out to people who have suffered because they’ve made a choice to end the life of an unborn child,” Archbishop Blair said.

Sparking a Pro-Life Movement

Organizers, speakers and attendees involved in the Connecticut March for Life are hoping their public witness will serve as the kickoff for a renewed energy in promoting the sacredness of all life. Together, they hope to begin changing hearts and minds throughout the state.

The backdrop for the Connecticut March for Life is a potentially historic U.S. Supreme Court decision expected this summer, involving a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks. Depending on the outcome of that case, it might affect the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion, and could revert control over abortion to the states.

In the meantime, pro-life advocates in Connecticut would like to see the state adopt a culture of life by passing legislation on parental notification for abortions, creating greater outreach to women with unplanned pregnancies, and continuing to challenge and block any legislation aimed at legalizing assisted suicide.

On the day of the kickoff – at the Connecticut March for Life and pro-life rally at the State Capitol – Archbishop Leroy Bailey Jr. of The First Cathedral in Bloomfield gave an impassioned speech, imploring anyone who might hear him to obey God. “Through us, who have been given our lives through Christ Jesus, he tells us to choose life and not death,” Archbishop Bailey said. “We must acknowledge that life is designed in the womb by God.”

As for lawmakers, he said, “We desire that our politicians pass laws to protect our babies.” And to women who might be considering terminating a pregnancy, he asked that they not suffer alone in silence. “Give God a chance,” he advised. “Allow him an opportunity to show you that there is a more excellent way. I want you to know God is a miracle worker. Let him do a miracle for you.”

Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut and another rally speaker, was fervent in his quest for political change. He noted this year Connecticut legislators are considering two bills and an amendment to the state Constitution to expand access to abortions: HB 5261, HB 5414, and Senate Joint Resolution 30. He vowed to fight against these proposals and any similar efforts.

“Why are they doing this? Because they’re scared,” he said. “Because life is winning in America. And life can win in Connecticut, too. For years we were told that abortion was not an issue in Connecticut, that there was no pro-life movement in Connecticut or no pro-life movement of any serious consequence. Well, look at all of you. Here we are. Today, we proved them wrong. Today, we are here. And from now on, there will be consequences.

“For 49 years, the March for Life has marched in Washington, D.C., against that horrible decision, and now, perhaps God willing, Roe v. Wade might be overturned this year,” Wolfgang told the crowd. “Likewise, we will meet here. Today is just the first one. We will meet here every year, every year here in Hartford until the day when every unborn child in the state of Connecticut is protected in law and welcomed in life.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of the national March for Life Education and Defense Fund, urged those who believe in the sanctity of life to get involved. “Marching to end the human rights abuse of today is the single most important thing you can do,” she said.

Mancini also encouraged attendees to tell their stories about life and put them out on social media. And it’s imperative, she said, to contact Connecticut state legislators to let them know there is opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 30, which is intended to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

Catholic Supporters Span the State

The Connecticut March for Life and pro-life rally attracted people of many faiths, including participants from all three Catholic dioceses: Hartford, Norwich and Bridgeport. Brian Wilson, a junior at St. Paul Catholic High School, was selected to lead all attendees outside the Capitol in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Sister Mary Mercy Lee, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Meriden and a teacher of Scripture study at St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol, chaperoned students from her school to the Connecticut March for Life.

“St. Paul Catholic High School has a deep culture of being pro-life,” she said, noting that it typically buses students to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. annually and, when they could not go because of the pandemic, students generated their own pro-life activities in Bristol. This year, they jumped at the chance to march in Hartford.

“It was a last minute decision and the students responded,” she said. “We brought 34 students and some came with their own families. We’re here to stand with the people of Connecticut and be a voice for the unborn. I’m really proud of these kids for joining in this mission.”

Rose Wells, a sophomore at St. Paul and member of the high school’s Pro-Life Club, was determined to be at the event with her friends. “We’re really the pro-life generation and need to make changes while we can,” she said. “I want to speak for the babies who can’t speak and be their voice. I’ve been raised to know that abortion is bad, and I stand by that.”

Sister Alexandria, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, who lives in Willimantic, arrived by bus along with 19 students and four sisters from the Academy of the Holy Family in Baltic. “I’m one of 11 children in my family,” the 26-year-old sister explained. “I’m very pro-life and went to the March for Life in Washington, so I’m happy to do something here to support life from beginning to end.”

Grace Melton, a mother and board member of Cardinal Kung Academy in Stamford, made the trip to Hartford with 50 middle and high school students and adults. “Protecting the unborn is important to our students and families and integral to our faith,” she said. “It’s just important to get out and show support.”

Two women, Elizabeth Medeiros and Carmen-Rosa Chilicki from St. Junipero Serra Parish in South Windsor, left the event arm in arm as they headed for their bus, pleased with the turnout for the march and the overall experience. “I believe in life from conception to natural death,” Medeiros said. “I’m fussing at people who want to take it away. My child was a blessing.”

Chilicki nodded in agreement. “I named my baby Jonathan,” she said, “which in Hebrew means ‘God has given.’”

The Connecticut March for Life was sponsored by the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference and the Family Institute of Connecticut. For more information about issues important to Catholics, visit ctcatholic.org and action.ctcatholicpac.org.