“We will prevail!”
For one day the City of St. Francis returned to its roots as 15,000 dedicated pro-lifers came to witness to the sanctity of every life at the 18th Annual Walk for Life West Coast.
Energized by the impending U.S. Supreme Court case which may finally overturn the notorious Roe v. Wade decision, you came from as far away as Oregon, Idaho and Nebraska to gather in Civic Center Plaza. But, as Walk co-chair Eva Muntean cautioned “As you know, even if this happens, our work is not done.” Eva was referring to California’s pro-abortion legislative supermajority and Gov. Gavin Newsom who have vowed to turn California – which already has no restrictions on abortion—into an “abortion sanctuary” for the nation. Walk co-chair Dolores Meehan echoed this, urging support for women, children and families, saying, “There is no act so ordinary that it cannot have extraordinary consequences for someone in need.”
Our speakers were fantastic, as always. “I believe Roe v. Wade has been outlawed, because God remembers you,” thundered the Rev. Clenard H. Childress, Jr. said, predicting the justices have already decided against Roe v. Wade in their private consultations. “We are the civil rights movement of this day.”
Speaker and Los Angeles Silent No More activist Irene Zamorano-Archacki, who had an abortion when she was six months pregnant, appealed directly to President Joe Biden in her speech at the rally. “I have a message for President Biden. You are a baptized Catholic. He healed me and he can heal you.”
And she stressed the importance of every day activism. “My daughter would be alive today if there was just one sidewalk counselor,” Zamorano-Archacki said, recounting her story of visiting the abortion clinic hoping someone would stop her.
The Walk’s most memorable moment, and one of the most memorable moments of any Walk, was the speech by Christi Hockel Davenport, a lady with Down Syndrome, displaying the value of her life and of every life. Excerpt:
“I hope you will remember this about me: I may not be as smart as some people, but I know that being smart isn’t always what makes people happy. And what makes people happy is loving and being loved. And when it comes to loving, people who have Down syndrome are truly exceptional. We are badly needed in this world.”
“We will prevail,” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone told the crowd, later joining the thousands streaming down Market Street, as the college students carrying the Walk for Life “Abortion Hurts Women” banner, chanted, “We love babies, yes, we do! We love babies, How about you?”
Here is some media coverage of the 2022 Walk: