National March for Life draws Iowans

January 16, 2024

Two busloads of Iowans expect to be a part of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19.

The pro-life march continues to be important after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in 2022 Roe v Wade, which for nearly 50 years said there was a constitutional right to abortion, said Danny Pierick, a senior at Dowling Catholic High School and vice president of the Students for Life club. 

In overturning Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court said abortion was an issue for states to address.

“Last year, the march was huge because it was the year after Roe v Wade was overturned,” he said. “This year, it’s building up more because abortion is becoming more of a debated topic in our country with the states.”

The trip is a pilgrimage, not a vacation, Pierick said. 

“We’re driving in a bus for 20 hours and doing a lot of walking, which is not always fun when it’s 10 degrees outside,” he said. “It’s not about having fun. It’s about advocating for those who can’t advocate for themselves. The whole point of the march, for us, is to promote the sanctity of life for others, the unborn, to speak for those who don’t have a voice.”

Dowling Catholic teacher Taylor Fernholz said supporting the national March for Life is one way to help students approach political activism for the sake of the unborn.

“Ultimately, the March for Life is a good opportunity for kids to take prolife seriously,” he said. “You show up in D.C. and see thousands of other kids there. (They think) I’m not alone in this. Other kids are serious about this, too.”

The U.S. bishops, through their document Faithful Citizenship, encourages participation in political life, said Fernholz.

“On a federal level, it’s not likely we’ll get an amendment to the Constitution,” he said, “but it’s not a bad idea to remind representatives and senators to look out the window and see all the youth who do want that.”

He and Father Reed Flood will be accompanying the Dowling Catholic students going on the march. 

“I think it’s an important thing in our Catholic schools to not be afraid to talk about prolife issues and any other Catholic issue,” Fernholz said. “It’s kind of complicated to talk about something that is a contested political issue when you’re a teacher in a high school. On the other hand, no Catholic high school should be afraid to say what the church says. Catholic high school teachers are here to teach what the church teaches.”