Five Ideas for the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

What are you doing to mark today’s 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade?

Last year, I wrote about five ideas for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  I’m updating that this year with some new ideas.

1.  Celebrate the first Rogation Day for Life

Yesterday I shared how Rogation Days are back in the diocese of Peoria, and how I hope to commemorate the first one, today.  Its theme is Life, naturally, and suggestions include attending a pro-life event, visiting an elderly neighbor or family member, and praying the rosary and other devotions.

I am so intrigued with the idea of Rogation Days and setting aside a day for prayer and penance at different points in the year.

2. Speak Life

I wrote last year during 40 Days for Life about how we are all loved and forgiven.  I also wrote about how I haven’t always spoken life when it was necessary.

So this year, I’m going again with promoting the idea that the theme song of the March for Life should be the song “Speak Life” by TobyMac.

How will you “speak life” today?

3. Be part of the March for Life.

This is one of the times I’m really grateful we still have a (locally provided) cable television.  Since EWTN is one of the stations, we can watch the March and tons of interviews live. Here’s a link to the pro-life programming on EWTN this week.    (Local side note: part of that programming includes a show to air Friday night at 9:30 CST called “Voices in the Desert,” about the Pope Paul VI Institute and its work.  One of the young doctors featured on the show is Dr. Jillian Stalling, an ob/gyn in the Peoria area.

Our older teenager is actually at the March for Life with a group from our diocese and local Catholic high school.  It’s terrific to have a member of our family on the ground so to speak, and also we hope to catch a glimpse of her and the group somewhere along the way.  This is a meme just for her:

4. Be pro-life in your own way.

Encountering a group of fellow LIFE Runners who ran the Naples Half -Marathon last weekend was an unexpected blessing, and I’ll be writing more about that in the future.

I was in Naples last weekend for two reasons: visiting family, and running the half-marathon. It’s my third time doing this particular race (the second along with my much-faster niece) and I really enjoy it. This visit allows our family to visit brother and sister-in-law, both law professors, and their family, and get a little sun and warmth mid-winter.

As I’ve written about in the past, LIFE Runners combines for me two loves: long-distance running, and devotion to the pro-life cause. I wrote before about how I did the St. Louis Marathon with LIFE Runners (visit part 1 here and visit part 2 here ), and the great experience I had there.

In the meantime, here’s a very quick interview with three of the 12 LIFE Runners (all from Ave Maria University). I am proud of myself for posting this even though I am not the least bit thrilled with way I look or sound here, and I don’t have the time to edit the video properly.  I’m just so proud of these young women:

5. Read (or re-read) some great pro-life books.

I’ve shared many, many pro-life books over the years.  Let me just share one now, that you can read with your children:

This book–about an unborn child who sees an angel while “in the waters”–is universally appealing among all age groups.  It’s a classic that people will be giving their children and grandchildren for years to come.  I can never read it without tearing up, and I dare you to, too.

(linking up for the first time with Moxie Wife, because I realized this fits into Five Favorites).

What are you doing to remember Roe v. Wade this year?