Founder says walk to Capitol Hill still the top March for Life event

Published: 2008-01-09

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Now in its 35th year, the March for Life has accumulated a variety of events associated with it. Some events draw big names. Others draw big crowds. But for Nellie Gray, who founded the March for Life, the march itself is still the high point, and the reason behind all of the other events. A march to Capitol Hill always follows a rally that features a host of speakers and is held several blocks away. "As far I'm concerned ... the reason we are coming on Jan. 22 to Washington officialdom in the middle of winter is to make certain that all three branches of the government -- legislative, executive and judicial -- know that Jan. 22 is an infamous day," Gray told Catholic News Service in a Jan. 9 telephone interview. Jan. 22 is the anniversary date of two Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion. "We have to overturn Roe v. Wade and we have to educate them about the humanity of the preborn child," Gray added. "The thing that is most visible, even in the middle of winter, is this visible, continuous presence. ... There is a body of America that says Roe v. Wade must be overturned because you're killing our people. It's a crime against humanity."

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