On 22 January 2016 nearly 50,000 prolifers braved a major blizzard to participate in the March for life in Washington DC held to mark the 43rd anniversary of that awful day in the history of the United States when the Supreme Court struck down all state laws against abortion in its infamous Roe v Wade decision.
In 2015, when there was no blizzard, about 800,000 prolifers participated in the annual March for Life.
22 January 2008 was the last time the March for Life was addressed by a US President - George W Bush. His remarks on that occasion are worth recalling:
As I look out at you, I see some folks who have been traveling all night to get here -- you're slightly bleary-eyed. I see others who are getting ready for a day out in the cold. But mostly I see faces that shine with a love for life.
I see people with a deep conviction that even the most vulnerable member of the human family is a child of God. You're here because you know that all life deserves to be protected. And as you begin your march, I'm proud to be standing with you.
Thirty-five years ago today the United States Supreme Court declared and decided that under the law an unborn child is not considered a person. But we know many things about the unborn.
Biology confirms that from the start each unborn child is a separate individual with his or her own genetic code. Babies can now survive outside the mother's womb at younger and younger ages. And the fingers and toes and beating hearts that we can see on an unborn child's ultrasound come with something that we cannot see: a soul.
Today we're heartened -- we're heartened by the news that the number of abortions is declining. But the most recent data reports that more than one in five pregnancies end in an abortion. America is better than this, so we will continue to work for a culture of life where a woman with an unplanned pregnancy knows there are caring people who will support her; where a pregnant teen can carry her child and complete her education; where the dignity of both the mother and child is honored and cherished.
We aspire to build a society where each one of us is welcomed in life and protected in law. We haven't arrived, but we are making progress. Here in Washington we passed good laws that promote adoption and extend legal protection to children who are born despite abortion attempts. We came together to ban the cruel practice of partial birth abortion. And in the past year we have prevented that landmark law from being rolled back.
We've seen the dramatic breakthroughs in stem cell research that it is possible to advance medical science while respecting the sanctity of life. Building a culture of life requires more than law; it requires changing hearts. And as we reach out to others and find common ground, we can see the glimmerings of a new America on a far shore. This America is rooted in our belief that in a civilized society, the strong protect the weak. This America is nurtured by people like you, who speak up for the weak and the innocent. This America is the destiny of a people whose founding document speaks of the right to life that is a gift of our Creator, not a grant of the state.
My friends, the time is short and your march is soon. As you give voice to the voiceless I ask you to take comfort from this: The hearts of the American people are good. Their minds are open to persuasion. And our history shows that a cause rooted in human dignity and appealing to the best instincts of the American people cannot fail. So take heart.Take heart, be strong, and go forth. May God bless you.
As the American people once again go through the long and complex process of electing a new President, prolifers everywhere in the world must earnestly hope that the next President of the United States will have as a top priority appointing new members to the Supreme Court who will finally revisit Roe v Wade and consign it to the dustbin of legal history along with such similarly appalling decisions as Dred Scott v Sandford which affirmed that slaves were chattel property and not persons under the US Constitution. 