Proclaim Freedom for the Unborn
The pro-life movement is all about
freedom. That’s why Priests for Life,
with the leadership of our Pastoral
Associate Dr. Alveda King, is launching
“Freedom Rides” for the unborn to
galvanize pro-life activity across the
country.
During the Civil Rights movement, the
“Freedom Rides” constituted a distinctive
moment of resolve and unity. The Supreme
Court, in its 1960 decision Boynton vs.
Virginia, had outlawed segregation in bus
terminals and restaurants serving
interstate travelers. So the following
spring, thirteen people – seven
African-Americans and six whites –
decided to travel by bus from Washington
DC to New Orleans to test the enforcement
of that Supreme Court decision.
Along the way, particularly in Alabama,
they encountered opposition and violence
from those who did not want
desegregation. But having been brutally
attacked, and some lying with wounds in
hospital beds, the “Freedom Riders” vowed
that the journey would continue. That’s
when others joined in, and the initial
Freedom Ride became 60 rides across
Southern states in the summer of 1961,
with some 450 riders participating. And
by the fall of that same year, the
government issued orders for the
enforcement of desegregation at the bus
terminals.
The Civil Rights movement and the
Pro-Life movement have the same heart and
soul: a longing for equal justice for
everyone, based on the inherent dignity
of every human life. That’s why, when Dr.
Alveda King first walked with me at the
annual March for Life and I asked her,
“Does this remind you of the marches in
the civil rights movement?” she declared,
“Fr. Frank, this is the civil rights
movement!” Both movements are movements
of freedom.
It is therefore time for Freedom Rides
for the unborn. The pro-life movement is
more ready than ever to proclaim freedom…
Freedom from the lies and the deceit that
allow abortion to continue…
Freedom from the fear of speaking up and
taking action for the unborn…
Freedom from the shame and guilt of past
involvement in abortion, so that those
called to speak up and share their
testimonies may do so as people who are
"Silent No More"…
Freedom from the political oppression
that tramples on human rights and denies
equality before the law…
Freedom from violence and death itself.
People will be invited to participate in
the Freedom Rides themselves. The bus
rides are a symbol of the journey we are
on, of the fellowship we share with each
other, and of the fact that we are a
movement. Major events in cities along
the bus routes will be held, in which all
the different facets of the pro-life
movement will be invited to participate.
At the same time, people not on the rides
or along the route can participate by
being “Freedom Riders for the Unborn” and
carrying out special projects that will
be coordinated among Freedom Riders
nationwide.
In his first public sermon, Jesus
summarized his message and mission by
saying he had come to “proclaim liberty
to the captives…” As his disciples, as
his People of Life, let us do the same!
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
Dr. Alveda King, who is a full-time member of the
Pastoral Team of Priests for Life and niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., will
be leading “Pro-life Freedom Rides” in the coming months, building on a method
that the Civil Rights Movement used effectively forty years ago.
