More than 200 people gathered June 24 in downtown St. Paul to mark the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that found abortion to be a constitutional right, legalizing it across the country.
Brian Gibson, executive director of rally organizer Pro-Life Action Ministries, based in St. Paul, noted that the pro-life rally was being held at a historic time, in the plaza of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and Courthouse. A native of St. Paul, the late Burger was the Supreme Court’s chief justice when Roe v. Wade was decided, Gibson said. He and six other justices joined an opinion written by Justice Harry Blackmun, who grew up in St. Paul, to form the majority in the case.
“But we’re standing here today because that decision of 1973 is gone,” Gibson said, as the crowd clapped and cheered and held up signs showing a child’s face and proclaiming “I am human!”
Gibson, a lifelong Catholic, acknowledged the prayers and hard work of 49 years supporting women, men and babies in hopes of saving lives under Roe v. Wade. But he gave all the praise and glory to God.
“I hope all the cheering is for God,” he said. “It’s the Lord God Almighty who has brought this day to us.”
The rally began with Christian hymns, one of which asked the Lord to “shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory. Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.”
A protester carrying a sign that read “Keep Abortion Legal” sought to disturb the crowd with a bullhorn emitting a loud siren, and with a loudspeaker, at times chanting, “pray me away.” But he was largely ignored. A few other protesters joined him.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said he would not have missed the rally for anything because he wanted to see the faces of so many who supported the pro-life cause. The Church will work to build a just society where women in unplanned pregnancies can find support, where children and families will find the health care and education they need, the archbishop said.
“I pledge that our Catholic Churches will be a sanctuary to women in crisis pregnancies,” the archbishop said, where at the very least people will help them find resources to meet their needs.
Archbishop Hebda spoke on behalf of Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops. The MCC’s Maggee Becker also pledged the organization’s commitment to backing legislation to bolster support for mothers and children.
Pro-Life Action Ministries is an interdenominational Christian organization grounded in sidewalk counseling offered in front of abortion clinics and other education efforts. The gathering in St. Paul was one of dozens planned across the country for the occasion, each of them dubbed Dobbs Decision Day Rally.
In a decision written by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court June 24, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, found that Mississippi’s law barring most abortions after 15 weeks — earlier than what was established in previous decisions — could stand. The decision also overturned Roe and a subsequent case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, by removing abortion as a constitutional right, placing abortion laws into the hands of state and federal lawmakers.
Archbishop Hebda was among a dozen men and women from several pro-life advocacy organizations who spoke or led prayer during the event. Grace Evans of the Minnesota Family Council in Minneapolis said that the day would “go down in history as one of the greatest victories for human rights in the history of our nation.”
“The opposition has no ground to stand on,” she said, passion apparent in her voice. “They’re desperate. They’re yelling at us. They know we’ve won. … The pro-abortion side is the side of violence, lies, discrimination, ableism, eugenics, misogyny, exploitation and death. Rest assured, we have everything going for us, and they have nothing going for them.”
Joe Langfield, executive director of Minneapolis-based Human Life Alliance, said that pro-life advocates are “following the science” by acknowledging the humanity of the unborn child.
“We can speak now to the fact that the life of the child in the womb is settled science,” he said. “It’s clear to all who will see.”
PLAM Board Member Angela Erickson spoke while Gibson held her 3-month-old daughter, Veronica. A former executive director of Options for Women-Cornerstone in St. Michael, she pointed out that the Dobbs ruling came down on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
“We see God’s providence working. There are no accidents,” said Erickson, a parishioner of St. Anne in Hamel. “His (Jesus’) heart will prevail in our state as it has prevailed in our nation. In this we will see a recognition, not only of the image of God being born in every womb, but each beating heart will also be acknowledged and protected.”
The Rev. Denise Walker, founder with her husband, the Rev. Brian Walker, of Everlasting Light Ministries in Albertville and its Rich in Mercy Abortion and Miscarriage Recovery Program, called for healing centers for people affected by abortion. Through Rich in Mercy, “we bring the healing of Jesus Christ to a hopeless and completely destroyed soul, and we revive them through the word of God,” she said. “We need to restore the culture of life. Roe v. Wade coming down today is the beginning of that nationwide.”
Gibson ended the rally with a call for pro-life activists in Minnesota to roll up their sleeves. He pointed out that the Dobbs ruling ended abortion in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, and a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling will soon end abortion there, too.
“Now Minnesota becomes an abortion destination state, and we’re going to have an influx of women being purposely brought in from these other states,” he said. “We have a lot of work in front of us. I tell you, we have a lot of hope in front of us as well.”
People at the rally were middle-aged and older, young adults and families with children, some with children in strollers.
A few people held large American flags. Others held children. They included Rachel Keating, 43, a registered nurse and parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan, who with her family sometimes attends the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. She and her husband, Joe, who is director of mission at St. John Neumann, came to the rally with their seven children, ages 1 to 18.
Keating said growing up in a society with abortion, “you have to teach them (children) early about the evils that are out there and how to stand up for what’s right and be a loving witness, not just a fighting witness.”
Keating said she and her husband have always supported the pro-life movement. “It’s so important,” she said, “and I think all pro-life people in Minnesota need to stand up for what’s right because we can really make a difference at this time.
“Now that it’s been put back to the states, it’s up to us,” Keating said. “Grassroots people, just normal people, people in the pews, people on the streets. It’s just so important for us to be a witness for people around us and in the public sphere, not just in our own churches, but everywhere.”
Kevin Jude, 72, of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, said he attended the rally to find a kind of closure “for all the years we’ve been working, working, working. We are now in the next chapter.” However, in Minnesota in particular, there is more work to do, Jude said, referring to the 1995 state Supreme Court Doe v. Gomez decision that found a state constitutional right to abortion. “And we’re going to continue to help women at the pregnancy resources centers,” said Jude, a retired railroad worker who has helped protect and support those who pray in front of Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics.
“This is a historic change,” said Michael Wells, 55, an internal auditor for a title insurance company, volunteer with the Minnesota Family Council and resident of St. Louis Park. “It’s wonderful to be with this group of people, and to see where we go forward.”
Susan Meyers, a member of St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, said it was important to be at the rally because every life is essential and “we are created in the image of God.”
“Every single life has value,” said Meyers, 58, who has worked in the manufacturing industry. “And there’s never a reason not to care for every single life.”
Meyers said her mother chose life in a difficult situation. She gave Meyers up for adoption. “She gave me life and then I was raised as an adopted child,” she said. “I feel for these women. I understand.”
Because her mother chose life, Meyers wants to tell every woman, that “we have to save every life.”
“It’s how we’re built,” she said. “We were built in love and we are to return love first to God and then to our neighbor. Every single life.”
Josh Richards, 23, a seminarian at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, said the Church needed representatives at the rally. “God wanted us here, so I figured I’d represent the seminary,” he said. “And that we stand for life. We stand for every human being.”
Richards thought it was incredible to attend the rally while celebrating what God did on the feast of the Sacred Heart. “When I realized this was on the feast of the Sacred Heart, I was just ‘of course, of course it’s on this day. It just makes sense.’ So that’s pretty beautiful.”
Another rally was planned in St. Paul for 11 a.m. June 25, organized by Students for Life as a prayer rally and life chain close to the State Capitol. More information can be found by emailing mmurphy@studentsforlife.org or via text at 540-642-8609.
— Maria Wiering and Barb Umberger contributed to this report.
