By Jeanne Wonio
DES MOINES — A crowd that swelled close to 1,000 people enjoyed the blessings of a warm, sunny winter day at the first Midwest March for Life in Des Moines. Iowa Right to Life organized the Jan. 19 event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
With a longstanding march in Washington, D.C., and an annual march now on the West Coast, Jenifer Bowen said it was time for one in the Midwest. Bowen, the executive director of Iowa Right to Life, organized the march to be a “voice for the voiceless.”
Marchers gathered at the west entrance of the State Capitol building where they heard welcoming remarks from Governor Terry Branstad and bilingual prayers from Bishop Richard Pates of the Des Moines Diocese.
The march circled the State Capitol building, stopping at each corner for meditations and prayers from dignitaries and ministers. The hour-long march culminated at War Memorial Park, facing the Iowa Supreme Court building.
“We haven’t had a chance to go to the March for Life in Washington D.C.,” said Clinton Prince of Peace parishioner Don Jacobs, who was in Des Moines with his wife, Gerilyn, and their children, Andrew and Caitlyn. “We welcome the opportunity to be here.”
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