It was indeed a victory celebration that took 50 years to happen. While it was disappointing to see such a relatively small crowd, there was great enthusiasm in many who were there. I was standing in front of the state capitol building happy to see so many elected officials who have taken a stand and promoted laws that protect the life of an unborn child in the owmb of its mother while remembering past rallies where there were few elected officials up there, and more clergymen, including the bishop fo the Catholic Church of Arkansas. by the way, I was reflecting over the phone with Ann Dierks of our parish, who was the first "Respect Life" coordinator for the Diocese of Little Rock about the poor weather conditions for the "March for Life" in Arkansas (which was initiated around 1976 in large part by then Bishop Andrew J. McDonald) for some years of the "March". She recalled one year where there was a heavy snow that fell in Little Rock either on the day of or the night before theMarch too place AND it still took place! Bishop McDonald and about 250 people braved the elements (to the surprise of the police escorts) marched up Capitol Street and proceeded with the planned program. Patience, perseverance, AND much prayer has brought us to this point in Arkansas where state laws are in place that now are in affect (after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade) which makes it illegal for any entity to abort children from their mother's wombs. There is indeed much to celebrate here in Arkansas AND MUCH MORE TO DO! This means keeping our laws protecting the unborn child strong and providing (financially and in other ways) an outreach to pregnant women especially the poor who need help during their pregnancy and afterward (which, thankfully, is already happening in the pregnancy help centers). More challenging than that is having educational programs that emphasize the proper use of one's sexuality that can lead to far fewer unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, especially among our young people!

At the rally last Sunday, it was proudly said that for the third year in a row, Arkansas was declared (by some guage) the most pro-life state in the United States. While this is truly something to celebrate when it comes to the issue of abortion, my pastor's column next week will speak about other pro-life issues and where we need to move (and enact laws) to truly say that ALL human life is a gift from God that must be respected and protected at all stages and in all situations!