1.31.2008 LCMS News
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod
January 31, 2008 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 10
Participants note progress of 'March for Life'
By Joe Isenhower Jr.
Judging from comments and the level of enthusiasm of Lutherans who joined tens of thousands at this year's "March for Life" Jan. 22 in Washington, their resolve to end abortion may be buoyed by reports of abortion declines in recent years.
But they also say their quest is far from over, as they continue praying that God changes more hearts and minds, especially those of young people who face such decisions as ending unwanted pregnancies.
In the news last month was a report of the Guttmacher Institute, which found in a survey of abortion providers that 1.2 million abortions took place in the United States during 2005 -- the lowest abortion rate since 1974.
"There has been slow and incremental progress in the pro-life movement as a whole," Dr. James I. Lamb, executive director of Lutherans For Life (LFL), said after this year's march. "The pro-life movement with its steady, persistent message has been effective."
LFL is a pro-life, pro-family ministry based in Nevada, Iowa, with the mission to "witness to the sanctity of human life through education based on the Word of God." It provides resources including Bible studies and information on an array of life issues; LifeDate, a free quarterly journal; and an annual national conference.
And just as it has every year since 1999, LFL invites people to gather under its banner for the annual March for Life marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. The 2008 LFL delegation included 50 marchers, who along with 50-some others started the day with a worship service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Va., for which Lamb delivered the sermon.
"Sometimes it seems like death wins," Lamb told those worshippers, citing examples of "society point[ing] the pregnant teenager to death through abortion ... the chronically ill to death through embryonic stem-cell research ... those with severe disabilities to death through euthanasia or assisted suicide ... as something good that will help."
"Not true," Lamb said. "Life wins! ... Jesus defeated our enemy -- death ... and gives us that victory. ... The victorious message that life wins is tailor-made for addressing the life issues as they affect God's people."
That service and Lamb's sermon were highlights of the day for Rev. Mark Luecke, a hospital chaplain from Canton, Ohio, who was in town for his second march.
"Dr. Lamb made it clear that abortion and other life concerns are not only moral issues, but spiritual issues," Luecke said. "For me, participating in the march makes a statement that I -- along with other Lutherans -- have a strong, faith-connected commitment to life."
The day also began with breakfast at the White House for about 200 march organizers, including Dennis Di Mauro, president of LFL's Northern Virginia chapter and coordinator for the organization's march-related activities.
President George W. Bush spoke during the breakfast, and later by audio feed to all the marchers gathered for a rally on the National Mall that also featured speeches from other government leaders.
"As I look out at you," Bush said as he drew laughter from the White House guests, "I'll see some folks who have been traveling all night to get here. You're slightly bleary-eyed. I'll see others who are getting ready for a day out in the cold."
With temperatures in the 40s, thousands of marchers arrived in town after hours of travel via highways, rail, and air. Washington was overcast with periods of light rain that day.
"But mostly, I see faces that shine with a love for life," Bush continued.
"I see people with a deep conviction that even the most vulnerable member of the human family is a child of God. You're here because you know that all life deserves to be protected. And as you begin your march, I'm proud to be standing with you."
"Today we're heartened," Bush said, "by the news that the number of abortions is declining. But the most recent data reports that more than one in five pregnancies end in abortion. America is better than this, so we will continue to work for a culture of life where a woman with an unplanned pregnancy knows there are caring people who will support her; where a pregnant teen can carry her child and complete her education; where the dignity of both the mother and child is cherished.
"We aspire to build a society where each one of us is welcomed in life and protected in law," the President said. "We haven't arrived, but we are making progress."
Di Mauro said that the LFL march delegation this year came from at least nine states, and represented a range of ages, including some 30 who are college-age or younger.
He had arranged housing for many of them among D.C.-area host families who opened their homes, and had coordinated local travel to and from the march sites, as well as meals and arrangements at Immanuel.
Di Mauro also said he would like to see more Lutherans march with the LFL delegation in years to come. For information, contact him at dimauro.dennis@gmail.com <mailto:dimauro.dennis@gmail.com> .
"I was deeply moved by the thousands of people who showed up for the march on a cold, damp work day," observed Jackie Vezina, a march participants with the LFL delegation for the first time, along with her husband of 35-plus years, Fred. They are members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Florence, Ky.
She said a number of Roman Catholics stopped during the march to thank her -- "a Lutheran, for participating in what seems to be a predominantly Catholic march. They hugged and thanked me for coming and showing that Lutherans support the sanctity of life too. It was a very humbling experience for me.
"I only wish that more Lutherans could have been there to witness this amazing March for Life," Vezina said.
"It is something of a relief to be in a place where you can 'come out' as pro-life without apology," Rev. Matthew M. Hummel, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor from Bellmore, Del., wrote in an e-mail after he, his wife, and their two children marched with this year's LFL delegation.
Hummel said that before their first march in 2005, he and his wife "would sit around and decry the fact that no one in the ELCA seemed to be doing anything. So we reached the conclusion it had to start somewhere with someone, so why not us."
"The sight of the tens of thousands of young people thronging the march is inspiring," Hummel said in his e-mail. "I think even given the minimal and skewed coverage it gets, you cannot hide the fact that there are so many people who are pro-life."
Among those young pro-lifers at the march were groups from two Lutheran schools -- Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) at Mequon, and Lutheran High School (LHS) of St. Charles County at St. Peters, Mo.
"I was raised to understand God's great gift of life and have been involved in pro-life activities my whole life," said Elena Wolters, a sophomore and administrative assistant for CUW's Students for Life (SFL), an LFL-affiliated campus group with 12 members at this year's march. Last year, 11 from the CUW-SFL marched in the nation's capital.
Wolters said the student group has several projects throughout the year, including volunteer work at A Place of Refuge -- a women's shelter in nearby Milwaukee, sidewalk counseling at an abortion clinic there, sponsoring a "baby shower" for local crisis-pregnancy centers, as well as spreading word on the university campus about "important news and laws concerning legislation."
Alex Post, another leader with the Mequon group in D.C., said he considers it "especially important for men -- young and older -- to be active in pro-life work.
"I believe that men have a great responsibility in terms of relationships," Post said. "God's Word tells us that men are responsible for being godly leaders."
The 2008 march was the 12th time that students from Lutheran High School of St. Charles County have been in Washington for the March for Life and related activities.
The group has worked with a local LFL chapter on activities such as talks about chastity for confirmation classes at local congregations.
In recent years, members have developed presentations for their school's chapel; sponsored a fall "Life Week"; and developed resources for their campus on abortion, chastity, and other hot-topic issues such as stem-cell research, invisible children, suicide, drinking and driving, drug abuse, and domestic abuse. The group also has organized toy and diaper drives, and encourages donations for a local pregnancy-resource center.
Renee Gibbs of St. Louis, a teacher there at the time, helped start the high-school pro-life group in 1995 -- serving as faculty adviser for 10 years -- and has accompanied students at the Washington march 12 times, including this year.
Gibbs, now a full-time volunteer and student in the Master of Arts program at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, also served as a presenter at two recent national LFL conferences.
"Teens are upset that one-third of their generation is gone," Gibbs said, "and they appreciate the opportunity to try to end abortion."
The St. Charles group spent four days in D.C. this year, according to Gibbs -- marching, praying in front of abortion clinics, participating in candlelight vigils in front of the Supreme Court building, visiting the Holocaust Museum to "connect them with America's holocaust of abortion," attending conventions of two Christian youth organizations and workshops sponsored by a third, and hearing "first-hand stories from men and women who have experienced abortion."
"The march, the LFL service, and all the various other activities motivate the teens as part of a huge youth movement," Gibbs said.
For Janice Nihill, a 17-year-old senior and a leader in the student pro-life group at LHS, this year's was her second March for Life. She said she became involved in the pro-life cause two years ago, at a time when she had been a Christian for just over a year. Since then, she also has participated in two national LFL conferences.
"Above all things," Nihill said, "my faith motivates me to do as much as I can and strive to do more in the pro-life movement. As a child of God, I know a truth that is stronger than anything the world can throw at me -- the power of eternal life through Christ. I cannot, because of who I am as a child of God, keep silent as my own generation is denied the chance to exist."
For more information about Lutherans For Life, visit its Web site at www.lutheransforlife.org <http://www.lutheransforlife.org> .
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If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org <mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org> or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org> or (314) 996-1230.
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