47th March for Life
Friday, January 24 marked the 47th March for Life held in Washington, D.C. This march has been held every year since 1974, one year after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling led to legalized abortion nationwide.
President Trump became the first sitting president to speak in-person at this largest pro-life human rights demonstration in the world. He told the crowd that “every child is a precious and sacred gift from God.”
“Together we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life,” he continued. “When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family.”
The Christian Post noted that more and more young people are joining the March for Life. The 2020 march was attended by “countless high school and college students.” Students from Oakcrest School in Vienna, Virginia lead the march, holding the official March for Life banner.
Catalina Scheider Galinanes, the 16-year-old president of Oakcrest’s Respect Life Club, spoke at the rally. She said this was her seventh March for Life, “From the moment I realized that the abortion industry was ending the lives of millions of babies and lying to women everywhere, I knew God was calling me and each of us to act to defend human dignity and protect the lives of generations to come. That is what we are doing here today.”
In 2019, we witnessed New York, Illinois and Vermont expand abortion up to birth. The State of Virginia’s General Assembly, currently in session, is seeking to loosen existing regulations on abortion, one of which would also legalize abortion up to birth.
Praise God that 10 states with majority pro-life legislatures and governors passed laws requiring clinics to meet health and safety standards and placed limits on abortion. Pray that other states would follow their lead. And pray for God to raise a pro-life generation who will ultimately change the culture in those states which have removed regulations!
What can we do today? We can support mothers and fathers. We can speak for the unborn through our votes, in our churches, in our communities and with our families. Together, we can end abortion and create a culture of life!
Remembering the Holocaust
Last week, more than 200 Holocaust survivors and their families gathered at Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp 75 years after it was liberated on January 27, 1945. This event commemorated the more than one million people murdered at Auschwitz, the vast majority of whom were Jewish.
NBC News reports that many of the survivors described their experiences. “My number was 45,554,” said Bat-Sheva Dagan, who is originally from Lodz, Poland. “They tattooed my number on me and it’s just as visible today as it was back then. It was tattooed very well,” the 94-year-old added.
“I would love Hitler should be alive to see what I accomplished—that I’m alive,” said survivor David Marks, who now lives in Sherman, Connecticut.
On January 23, more than 40 dignitaries attended the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem marking it as one of the largest political gatherings in Israeli history. World leaders in attendance included Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prince Charles, Vice President Mike Pence and the presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria. The event was highlighted by a three-hour-long ceremony called “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism” at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
Tel Aviv University researchers noted a significant rise in anti-Semitic violence in 2018. They recorded 400 cases of violent attacks against Jews, with the largest reported number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades. The spike in violence was most dramatic in western Europe. For instance, in Germany there was a 70% increase. In addition to shooting attacks, assaults and vandalism, the research also noted increased anti-Semitic vitriol online and in newspapers, as extremist political parties grew in power in several countries.
Middle East Peace Plan
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released this week a plan for peace in the Middle East. Arab Ambassadors from Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates attended the announcement and expressed a desire to work towards peace.
In spite of growing support of the Peace Plan by multiple Arab nations, Palestinians have soundly rejected it and instead have called for a “Day of Rage” to attack the Jewish people and Americans in protest.
We must continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And, we must stand against anti-Semitism and pray for the protection of Jewish people worldwide.
