Utah Catholics turn out for March for Life at Capitol

IC Photo/Linda Petersen

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Bishop Oscar A. Solis (right) leads a rosary prior to the Jan. 20 March for Life at the Utah State Capitol.

SALT LAKE CITY — Close to 300 Catholics joined other Utahns Jan. 20 at the Utah State Capitol to participate in the annual March for Life and rally sponsored by ProLife Utah. Of the approximately 1,200 people gathered for the event, Catholics were by far the largest cohort among groups representing those who stand for the unborn and their mothers in the state.

Prior to the rally, Bishop Oscar A. Solis led the faithful in reciting the rosary. Catholics from many parishes, organizations and schools filled the plaza to join in the prayer.

“I know how important this march is to make the people aware about the value of human life,” Bishop Solis told those gathered afterwards, “but … it is not the march, it is not the placards that convert the hearts, minds and lives of people, it is the grace of God. So we pray; always pray, pray every day, every week, to remember that abortion is evil. It is sin and it must be stopped. It can only be stopped by the power of God’s grace, not by our own selves.”

At the rally, ProLife Utah President Mary Taylor told those in attendance that even though Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022,  abortion is still available in Utah “with no end in sight” because the state’s law that makes elective abortion illegal is tied up in court.

Since June 2022, more than 4,800 abortions have been performed in Utah, said the event’s keynote speaker, Merrilee Boyack, ProLife Utah’s director of development. Still, there is hope, she said, and told those gathered of a new ProLife Utah program that has saved the lives of 14 unborn babies so far this year.

Among those participating in the march were St. John the Baptist parishioners Andrew Rakowski and his wife Andrea, who brought their three children: Theodore 7, Genevieve 5 and Cora, 6 months.

“Life is an important issue and if those innocent lives don’t have rights, none of us do,” Rakowski said. “We’re here as a family.”

Carol Rushton, another St. John the Baptist parishioner, participated in the march “to support those who choose life and that they have a wonderful life and follow God’s will,” she said. “Everyone has a voice of what they want, and if people don’t stand up for beliefs, sometimes things don’t move forward like we want.”

Shawn Combs came to the march as a member of Holy Family Parish’s Knights of Columbus council.

“I think abortion should not be used for birth control,” he said. “I think they should keep our babies alive.”

The unborn “are innocent and they need to be defended,” said Rachel Low, 15, who also participated in the march. “They don’t have a voice of their own and we need to be a voice for them.”

In addition to the Respect for Life ministries in many parishes, Utah Catholics work to support the unborn and their mothers through prayer rallies at Planned Parenthood clinics, contributions to the Pregnancy Resource Center and to Catholic Community Services’ Martha’s Closet and the diocesan Martha’s Baby Project, which provide free layettes and other supplies for newborns in need.