By Gretchen Keiser

A mobilized Catholic presence and an awareness that the state legislature is the new battleground for abortion characterized the pro-life rally and march at the Georgia Capitol Jan. 22.

Some 600 to 700 Catholics followed Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, to the Capitol steps after an opening Mass in honor of life at the nearby Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The one-block walk displayed a variety of parish pro-life signs from Stone Mountain to Newnan as the Catholic contingent merged with thousands of other Georgians already massed on the Capitol steps.

Becky Fern, chairperson of the pro-life rally, estimated the crowd at over 15,000 based on stickers handed out by marshals. Atlanta Police Major W.W. Holley, who was in charge of security, put the numbers at 7,000 to 10,000. It was the largest turnout in the history of the march, according to pro-life leader Sheila Mallon.

At the Capitol, the archbishop was cheered loudly as he said, “This nation is on trial for its soul, and men and women and children who believe in life had better be concerned and had better let their voices be heard.”

Abortion is not an issue about choice, or a men’s issue, or a women’s issue, he added. “It’s an issue about life. When the life of any one of us is threatened then the life of none of us is safe.” “Hallelujah,” a man shouted back.

The archbishop also drew upon the black experience, noting that history show “the Supreme Court has been wrong before” in cases which disenfranchised blacks.

Changing the nation’s attitude on abortion will require more than overturning a Supreme Court ruling, he said. “We must change a mentality that has been allowed to seep into the fiber of this nation…We must change the way people think about life.”

Two other speakers, Christian Broadcasting Network president Pat Robertson, and Dr. Robert Rohm, a pastor at the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, emphasized that the march was significant, but the legislature meeting simultaneously inside the Capitol was the arena for real change.

“The battleground is right in here,” Rohm said, pointing to the Capitol. He added: “This (the march) is not enough. What must be done is to write letters, make phone calls, make a visit to your legislators and tell them you’re politically active and you’re pro-life.”

Based on the numbers at the march Robertson predicted, “There is going to be legislation passed in Georgia to protect the life of the unborn child.”

Governor Joe Frank Harris read a proclamation designating Jan. 22 Respect for Life day in Georgia. In introducing, Mrs. Fern thanked him for his proclamation, but said more was needed. “For life to be truly respected he must do more,” she said, noting that with another “stroke of a pen” he could sign a bill that would restrict abortion in Georgia.

Charles Wysong, who heads the American Rights Coalition in Chattanooga, Tenn., reported on successful malpractice suits being filed against abortion clinics in Georgia and surrounding states.

“Abortion may be legal but malpractice is not and we’re going to sue,” he said.

Balloons, flags and banners floated aloft above the sea of shoulder-to-shoulder people stretching from the steps of the Capitol back to the sidewalk of the churches across the street and from Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to Mitchell Street. Thirty or more legislators made a point of coming out to be introduced as present during the march. Signs emphasized the political nature of this year’s march, saying, for example, “Gwinnett County is pro-life” and “White County is pro-life.”

Following the hour-long rally at the Capitol, which included inspirational songs and prayer, thousand fell into step behind a large pro-life banner held by children and began a silent march in downtown Atlanta and back to the Capitol.

For Catholics the morning began with a rosary and Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception celebrated by Archbishop Marino. People stood in side aisles, and stood eight rows deep at the back of the church, and overflowed into the vestibule after the 500-seat church was filled.

The rosary was led by Monsignor Michael Regan, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Carrollton, and 25 priests of the archdiocese concelebrated Mass. A number of other priests took part in the rally and march.

“It is as ironic as it is tragic that, in a nation committed to human rights and human dignity, the practice of legalized abortion is so widespread,” the archbishop said in his homily

The unborn child is “a human entity, a human being,” he said, “not simply a potential human being.” In fact, the vulnerable, dependent nature of the unborn is a mirror of the true state of all human beings, who need one another to survive, he added.

He also lined the acceptance of abortion by this generation with a failure to prevail in other areas needing compassion, such as peace, poverty and homelessness. “As long as we allow this generation to be at peace with the death of the unborn, is it any wonder we are so ineffective in bringing the peace of forging the peace that we long for with other nations? Is it any wonder we are so ineffective in addressing the problems of hunger and homelessness?”

Urging the congregation not to be deluded about the task at hand, the archbishop said, “What we are about is the business of life and what we confront are the dealers of death.”

He closed with a prayer saying, “We, who for too long have been content to be silent, beg for courage to speak out clearly. We, who for too long have been satisfied to stand idly by, beg for the fortitude to act boldly.”

Soloist Mary Rogers served as cantor for the Mass, which was signed for the hearing impaired by Jane Connelly Goodwin. Alan Brown, St. Jude’s music director, provided the music. Many people openly wept when Ms. Rogers sang a meditation on the unborn child.

In acknowledging their contributions at the Mass, Peggy Sinanian, coordinator of the archdiocesan pro-life office, also thanked Archbishop Marino for “taking a leadership position for the sanctity of life.” The remark prompted a standing ovation from the congregation.

Outside the Shrine, Catholics interviewed continued to say, as they have in previous years, that they believe the public is misinformed about abortion and the education is the most serious need.

Steve Kirkland, a 26-year-old optician, took a personal day’s leave from his job to take part in the march and said, “I think the American public has been duped – and the American Medical Association has participated – on this pro-choice issue.”

“It’s not a right issue,” the St. John Neumann parishioner said. “It’s a life and death issue.”

“It seems to me the media thrust is pro-choice,” said Woody Breland of St. Joseph’s parish in Athens. “When you have Hollywood personalities come forward (for abortion), that’s where the impact is.”

“I think more education is needed,” said Ginger Galt, who is head of the pro-life committee at St. Joseph’s parish in Athens. “People still don’t realize the fetus is an unborn child.”

Parish participation appeared widespread at the Mass and march, with Catholics from Cedartown, Cartersville, LaGrange, Carrollton and Newnan, joining others from Decatur, Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Lilburn, Alpharetta, Roswell and Sandy Springs. Several parishes organized buses or car pools.

A young mother from St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Alpharetta, Ruth O’Neil began to cry when asked why she had chosen to come to the march. Hesitating for a moment, she was encouraged by her young son. “Abortion is starting to run rampant through the nation,” she said. “I think we have one-sided education – the young girls that think abortion is the easiest thing to do.”

“I was one of those young mothers that had to choose,” she said, reaching out to hug her son, “and I chose life.”