Lifting up voices in support of life

​On Jan. 24, 2025, tens of thousands of people from across the country gathered in our nation’s capital for the annual March for Life in commemoration of the 52nd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. Several busloads of parishioners and students from the Diocese of Metuchen traveled to Washington, DC, to join the crowd giving witness to the inherent dignity and worth of every human life.

On the local level, more than 100 people from across the Diocese met at St. James Parish, Woodbridge, and processed to a nearby abortion clinic to pray a Rosary for Life in solidarity with those at the national event. Despite the frigid temperatures, the mood of the group was peaceful and hopeful. While some passersby tooted their horns in a show of support, a few others shouted angrily at us, demonstrating their opposition to our cause.  This served as a stark reminder that we still have much work to do to make abortion unthinkable. In his remarks at the end of the Rosary, Bishop Checchio thanked the crowd for their prayers and for advocating for life-affirming public policies.  He also encouraged everyone to continue to support moms who are facing difficult and/or unplanned pregnancies.

In June 2022, when the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe in the Dobbs decision, pro-lifers across the land were overjoyed. Unfortunately, however, since then, the abortion debate has heated up to new levels. Since Dobbs, laws restricting or banning abortion have been passed in a number of states. At the same time, under the guise of “reproductive rights,” abortion advocates have made an urgent push to advance relentless and radical pro-abortion legislation.  There have been attempts to destroy or discredit the good work of pregnancy resource centers as well as the launch of a deadly misinformation campaign related to pro-life protections.

Even with the overturning of Roe, the most recent data from the Guttmacher Institute estimates that there were over one million abortions performed in the United States in 2023.  According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 % of these occurred at 21 weeks gestation or later.  That is approximately 10,000 late term abortions in one year.  This is the equivalent of 139 completely full school buses. At 21 weeks, a baby in the womb can feel pain, respond to noises and practice breathing and crying.  In fact, the earliest premature baby to survive outside the womb was 21 weeks.

When you consider that by the age of 45, as many as 1 in 4 women have had an abortion and a similar number of men and family members have been involved, it is no wonder that there is still a deep divide over this issue.  The sad reality is that each abortion results in a death. Because it is an elective procedure – a “choice”- society offers no place for those involved to grieve.  In her book, “Forbidden Grief”, psychotherapist Theresa Burke, Ph.D., draws on her experience with hundreds of clients and explores the obstacles to post-abortion healing.  She reveals that suppressed feelings may be acted out in a variety of negative and self-destructive behaviors.  Unspoken pain surrounds this issue and we are a wounded nation.  

As we begin this 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis encourages Christians to be “messengers of hope” and “to bring God’s light to our families and communities.”  In a hurting world, each one of us is being called to be instruments of God’s love, forgiveness, reconciliation and communion. In the words of the Holy Father, “Let us not be afraid to throw open the bright windows of closeness to those suffering, of forgiveness, of compassion, of reconciliation.”

God’s loving mercy is great and for those who suffer grief, regret, shame or pain after an abortion experience, there is hope and healing. The Catholic Church has a post-abortion healing ministry called Project Rachel, which offers compassionate, non-judgmental, confidential professional counseling and spiritual guidance to women, men and families who seek help.  Those who want more information are invited to call the National toll-free helpline at 888-456-HOPE or visit, https://hopeafterabortion.com/  In addition, Dr. Burke is the founder of the Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat, a weekend that offers a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion.  For more information, visit https://www.rachelsvineyard.org/  In this Jubilee Year of Hope, may Mary, star that leads to Jesus, help us to be shining witnesses of the Father’s unconditional love for everyone.

Jennifer Ruggiero serves as diocesan Secretary, Secretariat for Family and Pastoral Life, and director, Office of Human Life and Dignity.