The pregnant mothers included former Planned Parenthood employees Abby Johnson and Patricia Sandoval. Photo: Jose Luis Aguire/Walk for Life West Coast.
In what will go down as the most memorable
moment in the history of the Walk for Life West Coast, seven pregnant
women and their unborn children ascended the stage, put microphones to
their bellies, and filled San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza with sounds
of tiny heartbeats.
The heartbeats were a repudiation of the
Culture of Death, exemplified by the state of New York’s legalization of
the murder of such children up to the moment of birth.
The heartbeats brought an unprecedented
response from the tens of thousands of pro-lifers who overflowed the
plaza, and even shook the organizers. “I had tears in my eyes,” said
Walk for Life co-chair Eva Muntean.
Photographs showing some attendees wiping
their eyes, while others were moved to elation. The online comments
about the experience included “amazing”…”awesome”… “beautiful”…
”fantastic,” and “Fue el sonido más hermoso que escuche” (“The most beautiful sound I ever heard”).
The day began with Mass celebrated by
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone at St. Mary’s Cathedral. He was joined
by ten fellow bishops, and many priests. The Mass was one of a number of
Masses which qualified for a plenary indulgence decreed by the Vatican.
This is the first time such an indulgence had been decreed. The
archbishop imparted a papal blessing from Pope Francis on those in
attendance. Archbishop Cordileone gave the invocation opening the Walk
for Life rally.
Two of the pregnant mothers were speakers
at the rally: former Planned Parenthood employees Abby Johnson and
Patricia Sandoval. Both women walked away from their jobs at Planned
Parenthood and are now among the most articulate pro-life advocates in
the country. Johnson’s first book, Unplanned, has been made into a motion picture to be released this March.
The local CBS affiliate KPIX estimated the crowd at 50,000. Photo: Jose Luis Aguire/Walk for Life West Coast.
Walk co-chair Dolores Meehan presented the
St. Gianna Molla award to pro-life heroism to Mrs. Chastidy Ronan,
former executive director of San Francisco’s Alpha Pregnancy Center.
Meehan recalled how she had first met Chastidy at a fundraiser in a
church basement and how she was won over by her warmth, humor, and
commitment to helping women in need. A cancer sufferer, Chastidy told
the story of how she came to Alpha as a troubled young mother, became a
volunteer and the center’s executive director. The “little fundaisers”
are now held in the event center of San Francisco’s St. Mary’s
Cathedral.
Other speakers included Father Shenan
Bouqet of Human Life International, who gave an overview of the pro-life
movement, the challenges faced, and urged the Walk for Life West Coast
to try and grow as large as its big sister, the March for Life in
Washington D.C. The final speaker was the Reverend Walter Hoye of
Oakland who recounted the words that earned him a 30-day sentence in the
Santa Rita jail: “God loves you and your baby. Let us help you.”
At 1:30 walkers left the Civic Center Plaza
to head down Market Street to the Ferry Building. The local CBS
affiliate KPIX estimated the crowd at 50,000. Counter-protestors this
year were the smallest number ever, no more than 25-30 people. Walkers
came from all over the western United States and as far away as
Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and even the island of Fiji. Students For
Life groups from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, San Jose State, and Stanford
(among others) came plus Catholic colleges including Wyoming Catholic
College and Thomas Aquinas College, who sent over 200 students. .
But certainly this Walk for Life West Coast will be remembered for the tiny heartbeats.
Photo: Jose Luis Aguire/Walk for Life West Coas
