In a sea of banners, placards and pickets, Dana Lee’s sign stopped traffic cold.
Amid the many slogans touted at the 33rd March for Life, held Jan. 23 in downtown Little Rock, the striking 39-year-old blonde’s message hit onlookers hardest with its raw simplicity:
“I regret my abortion.”
“I wish people had been praying in front of the abortion mill when I was 19,” she said quietly as she marched west down Capitol Avenue. “I wish there had been someone there calling out to me that I didn’t have to do this, that they would adopt my baby or that there were other resources available to me. It definitely would have made me stop and think about what I was doing.”
Two hours earlier, at the Mass for Life at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor called on Catholics to not only work to end future abortions, executions and euthanasia, but reach out to the people who today bear the scars of such procedures, who nurse the still-open wounds their decisions will not allow to heal.
“It is one thing to argue about abortion in the abstract, but it is quite another to have a heart-to-heart with a grief-stricken woman who now has a wound deep inside that just will not heal,” Bishop Taylor said in his homily. “That sort of encounter with the brokenness and interior devastation caused by abortion can humanize the issue.”
Bishop Taylor could hardly have imagined a more exact embodiment of his words than Lee, a New Jersey native and now a member of Cathedral of St. Andrew Church in Little Rock. Fixing her gaze on the horizon, the self-described pro-life activist detailed the lingering aftershocks of her decision, including years battling drug addiction and a string of unhealthy relationships, “all because of that one destructive and selfish moment.”
“The human dimension articulated with sincerity and respect is what is most missing in our national discourse regarding a broad range of topics,” Bishop Taylor said in his homily. “If we succeed in putting a human face on the issues before us, we can enable Jesus’ Gospel of Life to have a decisive, positive impact on the future of our country,”
For as loving as Bishop Taylor’s words were for those affected by pro-choice procedures at all phases of life, he employed a much different tone for those in power who allow such practices to be sanctioned by the law of the land. Drawing parallels between current U.S. policy and historical atrocities, he demanded accountability from both lawmakers and the people who elect them.
“Every Christmas we are shocked to read about an evil king who used the power of the state to kill 100 baby boys in Bethlehem,” he said. “Yet we remain complacent in the face of millions of baby boys and girls killed each year, killings protected by the state. But unlike Herod’s subjects, we choose our rulers and we can remove our rulers, which makes us to some degree complicit in these killings.”
The bishop’s words were just as pointed during the invocation on the steps of the State Capitol following the march. Flanked by state and national elected officials, Bishop Taylor asked God’s forgiveness for the sins of a nation.
“Take away our stony hearts and the stony heart of our beloved country,” he prayed before an estimated crowd of 5,000 that covered the east steps and spilled out into the street. “Our nation suffers laws enacted by human authorities in direct violation of all that is holy and worthy of you.”
The day’s keynote speaker, political contributor and commentator Princella Smith of Wynne picked up where the bishop left off. She urged the crowd to make the commitment to “do what is right and not what is easy.”
“God knows the personalities of the unborn and he has a plan especially set aside for each person,” she said to rising applause. “Your life matters if you are eight weeks old or 80 years old. Your life matters!”
Mass attendees and marchers represented a cross section of the Catholic community. The Knights of Columbus provided an honor guard at Mass, while members of Team Jesus from Christ the King Church in Little Rock provided musical accompaniment. Young people were heavily represented at the bilingual event. Many of them participated in the diocesan-sponsored lock-in at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock called Weekend Extravaganza the night before.
Attendees felt as strongly for the theme of the day as the bishop felt about their active presence. Har-Ber High School senior Taylor Martin, 18, said the weekend’s events are important for bringing young Catholics together on an important issue.
“I wrote a paper on abortion for one of my classes, and I included a pamphlet that had some pretty graphics photos in it,” Martin said. “When I handed it in, my teacher said she couldn’t even look at it. I was like, ‘Well, this is what is really going on.’”
Father James West of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock said such events are important in strengthening young people’s morals.
“This is the generation that needs a connection on this issue because it is the first generation of children who could have legally been killed under Roe vs. Wade,” he said. “It is essential that they understand the impact this decision has had on their generation. “
Meanwhile, somewhere near the back of the throng, Dana Lee said her hope for what the teens would take back home with them was clear.
“I want them to know that they have a worth and a dignity and a strength that perhaps they don’t know they have,” she said.