NEW YORK CITY, 2 (NE) "There is no such thing as a merely 'annual' March for Life. Every march is unique, with its own excitement", recalled Cardinal John J. O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, commenting the recent march that took place in Washington in which thousands of people expressed their opposition to abortion. "I must confess to a certain bittersweetness about the March for Life in Washington this year, because I was confined by illness and unable to make the trip. Perhaps I was more effective, however, since I prayed that much more fervently for those physically able to be on hand," wrote the Archbishop, in his usual column in the archdiocese's weekly publication "Catholic New York."

    Cardinal O'Connor recalled as well the Roe vs Wade decision, which he named as "devastating." It was on Jan. 22, 1973, that the United States Supreme Court issued its sweeping abortion decisions Roe vs. Wade, and Doe vs. Bolton, striking down the abortion laws of Texas and Georgia. "These decisions asserted that abortion is a medical procedure and that a woman's right to privacy in deciding to abort takes precedence over the life of the unborn child who is not considered a person entitled to the customary constitutional protections" explained the Archbishop.

    In his article, Cardinal O'Connor expressed as well his concern for the lack of conscience existing today regarding this issue. "Here in the year 2000, the term Roe vs. Wade is undoubtedly meaningless to millions. If they are conscious of having heard the term, it is unlikely that they relate it to one of the true horrors of this century. Some 35 or more millions of unborn babies have been lawfully killed in their mothers' wombs courtesy of Roe vs. Wade, a devastating 1973 Supreme Court decision" the Cardinal wrote.

    "Death has become life, life death", he continued. "Thank God," concluded Cardinal O'Connor, "that today there are veritable armies who each year march the pro-life march in Washington, many having traveled the length and breadth of our land to get there."