Nearly four decades after the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, the commitment of those who seek an end to abortion has only gotten stronger.

On the 37th anniversary of the Court’s Jan. 22, 1973 ruling, the group that assembled for the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., was the largest in the event’s history. And the estimated crowd of more than 200,000 participants – including groups of various faith backgrounds that traveled from around the country to be part of the march – were loud and proud in proclaiming their support of the unborn.

After gathering for a rally in the National Mall in downtown Washington, the massive crowds peacefully marched up Constitution Avenue shoulder to shoulder while chanting, singing and reciting the rosary.

Many toted homemade signs joyfully proclaiming their views of the sanctity of all human life, while those signs pre-printed by the “Silent No More” campaign echoed more som- ber sentiments, including “I Regret My Abortion” and “Men Regret Lost Fatherhood.”

Among the crowds were an estimated group of nearly 1,000 pro-life supporters from the four counties of the Diocese of Trenton. The contingent, led by Father Ian Trammell, director of the Office of Life and Justice Ministries, waved pennants bearing the 2010 Loving Life logo and carried banners representing numerous parishes and Knights of Columbus councils throughout the diocese.

Dave Lorenzini, a parishioner of Holy Family Parish, Keyport, traveled to the event on one of the 18 buses that transported parishioners of the Trenton Diocese to the nation’s capital. The mood for the day’s festivities was set during the bus ride, Lorenzini said, as the faithful united to ask the Lord’s guidance on their journey.

“Everybody here today, we were all praying on the way down, and I think things change through the power of prayer,” he said.

Hope for Change
Awaiting her group’s turn to join the march, Mary Anne LeGall of St. James Parish, Ewing, reminisced about her family’s participation in four Washington, D.C., marches and Trenton-based rallies over the years.

“I used to come with my children, but now they are grown. I still come with my church. I want to make a statement to the president and to Congress,” she said.

Others were filled with a profound sense of hope that the growing numbers at the march would make that statement even stronger.

A quartet of women from St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, stood on the outskirts of the National Mall prior to the start of the march, observing the crowds that gathered around them. Maureen Weber, attending the event for the second year, took note of the large numbers of youth in attendance.

“I love to see all the young people; it gives me hope,” she said.

Dan Lim, parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly, joined others from his parish in proudly carrying one of the Diocese of Trenton’s banners, which bore the message “Every Life Matters” and a picture of an adult cradling an infant’s hand.

Lim’s comments on why he continues to participate in the march echoed the sentiments of many of those in attendance.

“Life is precious, that’s it,” he said. “What can you say? If you can’t protect life, why go on?”

Message to Washington
During the rally that preceded the march, a number of speakers, including both Church and government leaders, made pointed comments directed at Congress’ treatment of abortion funding in health care reform and President Barack Obama’s stance on the issue.

New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, a Catholic whose pro-life values have played a strong role in his legislative career, took issue with the claim that abortion is “safe,” citing not only its effect on the unborn but the negative impact and long-term consequences it has on women who choose to terminate their pregnancies. “Abortion isn’t health care,” Smith said. “There is nothing whatsoever benign, healing or nurturing about abortion.”

With President Obama’s first year in office having just concluded, Smith also noted the pro-abortion policies that the president had supported since taking office and said that those on the pro-life side are continuing to pray for him.

“And President Obama – the abortion president – should know this: even though you have unleashed the full might and power of your administration in the ignoble promotion of abortion on demand both in the United States and around the world, especially in Africa and Latin America, we do pray and fast for you, even as we tenaciously fight your anti-life policies,” Smith said.

Nellie Gray, president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund - the group that organizes the march - told participants that their presence at the annual march represented a “whole new surge” for the pro-life movement to not only continue to educate government officials about the immorality of abortion but to also show a united front.

Those involved in the fight against abortion, she said, are not just working to change laws but are also giving support for pregnant women and women who have had abortions.

Several speakers on the podium with Gray highlighted the pro-life movement’s outreach efforts and urged participants to support prolife doctors and pharmacists and to let members of their community know about the available pregnancy centers or post-abortion counseling programs.

Among the 23 Catholic bishops who took the stage during the rally were Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, former chairman of the committee.

They were joined by 21 members of Congress, including noted prolife supporter Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-La., a newcomer to Congress who began a career in politics after spending several years in the seminary discerning a call to the priesthood.

Cao said that although the “fight will be long and hard,” it was important that the group continue to “speak loudly for leaders to understand we are pro-life.”

Brownback told the crowd that “for the first time you live in a majority pro-life country,” referring to recently released Gallup poll results showing 51 percent of Americans to be against abortion, and urged them to press on in their efforts.

“You have done it – persuading others – keep it up,” he said.

Catholic News Service contributed to this story.