By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
On Jan. 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling in the case Roe v. Wade, establishing a constitutional right to abortion under the 14th Amendment. This ruling was overturned in 2022 under the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ending the constitutional right and allowing states to regulate or ban abortions.
Despite the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, anti-abortion activists continue to gather on or around Jan. 22 to host marches across the nation to protest the ruling. In the Castle Country, the Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church hosted its annual Life Walk on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Beginning at the Notre Dame de Lourdes church, the march saw demonstrators parading throughout Price bearing signs reading ‘End Abortion’ and ‘A child is a treasure. I AM PRO LIFE!’ while others carried signs adorned with pictures of fetuses in the womb alongside bible verses.
Surrounding those marching was a sky filled with pink and blue balloons, which one attendee explained represented 1 million babies per balloon, with the march holding approximately 60 balloons.
The march came to an end at the Price City Cemetery where attendees placed roses and balloons at the ‘One Rose One Life’ headstone.
The demonstration coincided with the national ‘March for Life’ series of events, which included one hosted in Salt Lake City on the steps of the state’s Capitol building.
Speaking at the Salt Lake event, Mary Taylor, president of Pro-Life Utah, stated, “Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and that trigger law was enjoined, we estimate that well over 10,000 babies that should have been protected by that law have lost their lives.”
Abortion laws in Utah have been the subject of a heated legal battle since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, with a trigger law passed by the state legislature bringing a near-total ban on abortion across the state. The law does include exceptions for incest, rape and if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.
However, Planned Parenthood sued the state over the law, keeping abortion legal in the state up to 18 weeks while the legal process plays out.
The march coincided with the church’s Nine Days for Life novena, during which members of the congregation prayed for nine consecutive days for “the protection of human life.”
