While the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the killing of preborn babies in Alaska has remained unchanged due to the Alaska Supreme Court’s insistence that abortion is somehow protected by the State Constitution’s privacy clause.
In fact, since Roe was overturned, more than 1,200 unborn Alaska babies have been killed through abortion every year.
To address this ongoing struggle for life, Alaska pro-life advocates are preparing to gather outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center in Anchorage, as well as in downtown Fairbanks, to pray for the end of abortion in Alaska, while offering a public witness to the inherent dignity of preborn babies. These rallies will coincide with the National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C., where tens of thousands of pro-life advocates are expected to march, as they have for more than 50 years.
The Anchorage gathering is set for Jan. 22, 5-5:45 p.m., on the sidewalk outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center on Lake Otis Parkway. After the sidewalk prayers, attendees are invited to take part in the pro-life Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral with Archbishop Andrew Bellisario. People of all faiths are welcome to attend both gatherings.
The next day, Jan. 23, Fairbanks will hold a pro-life rally from 5-6 p.m. on the Cushman Street Bridge. Signs will be provided and there will be a warming station at Immaculate Conception Church located at one end of the bridge.
According to the National Day of Prayer website, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has resulted in some states passing pro-life laws, but many others have done just the opposite.
“The necessary work to build a culture of life in the United States of America is not finished,” the group notes. “Rather, it is focused differently. Sadly, the number of abortions annually is still well over 900,000 each year, and that number is expected to decrease only by roughly 200,000 each year in a post-Roe America. Many national legislative battles loom, including even keeping longstanding Hyde protections, which limit government funding for abortion on annual appropriation bills.”
The group notes that the Hyde Amendment, which has saved more than 2 million lives, is arguably the most impactful pro-life policy in U.S. history, but it is now under threat.
“Last, our most important work is changing hearts and minds,” the National Day of Prayer website adds. “The goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable. With the role of the states being more important, we are also growing a strong state march for life initiative quickly, however, we will continue to march every January at the national level until a culture of life is restored in the United States of America.”
