The Church designates Jan. 22, 2019 as a day of prayer and penance called the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” It is meant to be a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.
Stunningly, more than 56 million abortions have been performed since the 1973 decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, reflecting with heartbreaking magnitude what Pope Francis means by a “throwaway culture.” Still, we have great trust in God’s providence as we are reminded in Scripture to seek the Lord’s help. As people of faith, we believe that our prayers are heard.
Pope Francis also reminds us that all life has inestimable value — even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor — are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.
I encourage everyone to pray that the world grows in its respect for life, from conception to natural death, and to build awareness to reaffirm the Gospel teaching about the gift of life. As the Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities from the U.S. Catholic Bishops reminds us, “Only with prayer — prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and souls — will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life.”