2/12/19
by Madeline Suarez
On January 17, 2019, thirty-eight students and seven chaperones departed from Immaculate High School en route to Washington, D.C. for the 46th annual March for Life. The March for Life is the largest single-day anti-abortion protest in America, and Immaculate students have participated in this trip for many years. Every year, tens of thousands of people from all across the country come together to protest abortion, and advocate for the overturning of Roe vs Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. The theme of this year’s March for Life was “Unique From Day One: Pro-Life is Pro-Science.”
The Immaculate students and chaperones began their trip Thursday night by attending the Evening of Prayer Catholic rally in EagleBank Arena at George Mason University. This event included music, guest speakers, adoration, and more. The next morning, the group headed back to EagleBank Arena for another rally. This event consisted of a full Mass and some more guest speakers. After, the group made their way to the National Mall to begin the March for Life. They first stopped on the Mall to listen to multiple speakers, including Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, as well as President Trump via a video message. Finally, the group started the march from the Washington Monument, down Constitution Avenue, towards the U.S. Supreme Court. After the March, everyone ate dinner at Carmine’s and then boarded the bus to return to Immaculate. Junior Abigail Gleissner shared, “It was an amazing experience seeing so many people all gathered for the same goal of fighting for the lives of unborn babies.”
Gerry Hatcher and his sister Marianne Fahey, both parents of Immaculate alumni, were chaperones on the trip and have been attending the March for Life for as long as they can remember. Mr. Hatcher shared that he always enjoys going on the trip with Immaculate students because they are “always well behaved, very into the trip, and seem to have a good understanding of why we are there, why it is so important to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves, and how each of our voices can truly make a difference.” Mr. Hatcher and Mrs. Fahey’s mother used to be the Chairman of the Westchester County Right-To-Life group. Mr. Hatcher explains their mother was “constantly going into high schools and grammar schools to educate students and teachers on the devastating effects of abortion on women, the reason why abortion is morally wrong, and why it is all of our jobs to stand-up and defend life from the moment of conception up to and through the moment of our natural death.” After going to the March year and after year, it is Mr. Hatcher’s hope that, during his lifetime “our country realizes that we have made a terrible mistake all of these years.” He went on to say, “I will continue to make the trek to Washington, D.C. each year until I live in a country that protects our children.”
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