Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children



January 22 is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the day established by the Church of penance for abortion, has been formally named as the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.”

In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 is to be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.

Today is the fortieth anniversary of the U. S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The horror of a single human life being deliberately taking is compounded by the sanction of such an act by the government and so many of its politicians (many of whom assert that they are Catholics). The bishops of our nation have asked all Catholics to fast and do extra penance today as a small reparation for the millions of abortions committed in our country, and for the legal approval of these actions.

Those who oppose the Church’s teachings try to discourage her members by suggesting that after forty years, the decision of Roe v. Wade will never be overturned. They argue that pro-life Christians just need to “get with it”. In response, we could point to the immense crowds (of mostly young people) who crowd our nation’s capital each winter to protest peacefully against abortion and the laws that support it.

While Christians can and ought to build a pro-life culture through many avenues, and not only through changes in law, it remains the case that as Christians and as Americans, “in God we trust”. We should not our trust in our selves, our efforts, or our politicians. God expects us to make needed changes in our world, but we can only do so through His truth and grace.


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