2022 Utah March for Life
SALT LAKE CITY — Catholics from several parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City joined thousands of other Utahns Jan. 22 at the Utah State Capitol for the annual March for Life.
Prior to the rally, Bishop Oscar A. Solis led the faithful in a bilingual rosary. He thanked them for their attendance and for their efforts in supporting the unborn and “promoting a culture of life from conception to natural death.”
Groups from the parishes of St. Thomas More in Cottonwood Heights, St. Olaf in Bountiful, St. Mary of the Assumption in Park City and St. John the Baptist in Draper, as well as individual members of other parishes within the diocese, participated in the event.
Among those who joined the rosary and march were Isabel Oliveras and her three children, ages 16, 15 and 9.
It was important for them to be there to support the unborn, a cause which is dear to her heart, Oliveras said. “I tell people that if they saw a mother trying to kill a baby in her arms, they would stop them. Fighting against abortion is the same.”
Catholics of all ages and from all walks of life made their voices heard that day, including three teens from St. Olaf Parish.
“I think it’s important for us to promote a culture of life because I feel like youth, especially nowadays, we kind of take part in the throwaway culture so we’re trying to help promote life everywhere at all ages,” said Lillie Wilson, 17.
“It’s important to realize that everybody has the right to life; it’s in our Constitution,” said LaVerne Libii, 17, who attended the march with her sister Amma, 16. “Our generation right now is overwhelmed with a lot of conflicting ideas, and I think it’s important to realize that without life we don’t have anything, we’re not going to get any generations.”
Kelly Mazur, a recent college graduate and newlywed from St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, has been pro-life her whole life, she said. “It breaks my heart to hear of all the abortions that go on in the United States. I think we should stand up and show the world that this isn’t good, this isn’t the right thing to do, and we should fight against it.”
The rally kicked off with an opening prayer by Bishop Solis. He was followed by ProLife Utah President Mary Taylor, who highlighted the group’s efforts and spoke optimistically about the future.
“There are strong hints from the Supreme Court that they may uphold the Mississippi 15-week ban; or maybe even overturn Roe [the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that made abortion legal in the U.S.],” she said.
Taylor presented Guardian of Life awards to the Utah Knights of Columbus and John Wainscott, a Knight from Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sandy, for their efforts in funding an ultrasound machine for the organization’s mobile ultrasound clinic, along with an anonymous donor who matched funds donated that day.
Guest speaker Nick Vujicic then thanked participants for Utah’s support for the unborn and urged them to work toward making Utah an abortion-free state. Vujicic, an Australian-American born without arms or legs, is a world-renowned speaker, New York Times best-selling author, coach and entrepreneur.
“We want you to know that we stand together with you,” he said, speaking to Utah women who face crisis pregnancies. “We want you to know that whatever rights we are hearing [about] based on the mother having the choice, that we stand in love and full respect for the babies, for their right to live.”
Following the rally, more than a hundred Catholics joined thousands of others in a march around the capitol to highlight the need to protect the unborn in Utah.
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