Local teens defend unborn at March for Life in D.C.

By Carlie Laurent (AOL)
Bella Roberts (Dominican)

“Equality Begins in the Womb” was the theme of the 49th annual national March for Life in Washington, D.C., that was attended Jan. 21 by approximately 300 teens from the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Every year since the Jan. 22, 1973, date of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in the U.S., tens of thousands of pro-life supporters from across the country have marched peacefully on the National Mall and Capitol Hill to celebrate life.

The local contingent of pro-life supporters participate in praise and worship at the hotel.

Then,  on the frigid day of the march with a Mass celebrated at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria, Virginia. There, they received the Eucharist and heard a homily from Father Colm Cahill, who stressed that “we are more than anti-abortion, we are pro-life,” said Carlie Laurent, a junior at the Academy of Our Lady in Marrero, who attended the march.

“(Father Cahill) said we have to stand up for life at all stages, from conception until natural death,” Laurent said. “I love that we had a chance to receive Jesus’ body and literally carry it with us through the march.”

Father Mike Schmitz, co-host of the “Bible in a Year” podcast and keynote speaker for a March for Life Rose dinner, energized the crowd along with others such as actor/producer Kirk Cameron and Down Syndrome advocate Katie Shaw, to prepare participants for the long walk.

Strength in numbers
Laurent and St. Mary’s Dominican junior Bella Roberts, who traveled to the march with St. Matthew the Apostle’s CYO, said it was amazing to be standing among so many others with the same conviction to fight for life.

“People carried signs, and we were chanting and praying together,” Roberts said. “We marched as a group and chanted for the end of Roe v. Wade. From where we were, it was a peaceful event.”

Laurent, who encountered a few pro-abortion bystanders while she walked with her group, called her march “an absolutely breathtaking experience. It was just really nice to know that there are thousands of people who believe in what I believe in. There were some pro-choice protesters on the sidelines. They called us names and other rude things, but we kept our heads up no matter what.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, called this year’s march a special one, considering that the Supreme Court has a case (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization) before it that challenges Roe v. Wade.

A Mississippi law would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and the court could take the step of reversing Roe v. Wade entirely, placing the abortion battle back in the individual 50 states.

“Americans everywhere know that unborn children deserve equal rights and protection under the law,” Mancini said before the march. “We are hopeful that, with (the case) before the Supreme Court, 2022 will bring us much closer to building the culture of life we have all marched for since Roe v. Wade was tragically imposed on our nation nearly 50 years ago.”

Laurent believes that marching for life is important, considering the current political climate about the issue.


“There is a constant controversy on pro-life vs. pro-choice,” Laurent said. “We march because we stand together to defend life at all stages. This march reinforced my special relationship with God and made my beliefs even stronger.”

Sometimes, Laurent said, it is “very hard to talk about abortion and my beliefs about it.”

“When others would make jokes about being pro-life, I find myself not speaking up for abortion,” she said. “While marching, I realized that there are so many who believe in the same thing I do. So now, I feel that I can openly talk about being pro-life and not be bothered by the things that people might say about me.

“It is so incredible how many people are marching for the truth and are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. I will forever try to tell the truth when protecting life.”

“It was a great experience from beginning to the end, and it was made even better by sharing it with friends I have known since I was in elementary school,” Roberts said.

Carlie Laurent is a junior at the Academy of Our Lady in Marrero, and Bella Roberts is a junior at St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans.