Thousands march at Minnesota State Capitol to protest abortion, oppose PRO Act

Over 50 pilgrims from the Holy Cross Area Faith Community (New Ulm, Searles, and West Newton Township) received the blessing of Bishop Chad W. Zielinski before departing by bus for the Jan. 22 March for Life in St. Paul. The group was among thousands marched at the State Capitol on the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade – a 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Elective abortions have been legal in Minnesota since that decision which struck down laws protecting unborn children nationwide. Although the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson ruling now allows states to decide their own abortion laws, the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Doe v. Gomez decision continues to require a policy of abortion-on-demand in Minnesota. The annual March for Life, sponsored by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, took place days after the house approved a bill called the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act seeking to enshrine in Minnesota law the right to abortion, up to the time of birth, with no restrictions. As marchers commemorated the harm done by abortion over the past 50 years, they also petitioned state lawmakers to reject the PRO bill.