March on the Arch 2024 featured Brian Westbrook as a speaker.March on the Arch: A Powerful Pro-Life Gathering in St. Louis

On Saturday, March 23, Coalition Life, a leading national professional sidewalk counseling organization, hosted the seventh annual March on the Arch. The march is one of the largest public pro-life gatherings in the St. Louis region each year. The day was peaceful and joyful, with no pro-abortion protesters attempting to disrupt the proceedings.

“We spent a considerable amount of time planning security for the march, given the threats we have seen in the past, but we didn’t really need it,” said Brian Westbrook, Executive Director of Coalition Life. “The lack of push-back from pro-abortion groups was a surprise, especially with their huge effort to collect petition signatures in Missouri for a ballot initiative that would add abortion to the state constitution. We thought they would be out in full force, but there was absolutely nothing from the other side.”

A Day of Unity and Purpose

The March on the Arch began at Aloe Plaza across from St. Louis Union Station, where hundreds of pro-life advocates gathered for a rally before marching to the iconic St. Louis Arch. Emceed by Annie Frey, host of Fox News Radio’s The Annie Frey Show on 97.1 FM Talk, the event featured a robust lineup of speakers:

Rallying Against the Abortion Initiative

A major focus of the rally was the initiative petition seeking to add abortion rights to Missouri’s constitution. This proposal represents a significant threat to the state’s extensive pro-life legislation. Steve Rupp emphasized the gravity of this threat, noting, “Abortion in the state of Missouri has been banned. We have passed 52 pro-life laws over the past 50 years and now those laws are being threatened by people that want to put killing innocent children into our constitution.”

Speakers educated the crowd about the “Decline to Sign” campaign, an effort coordinated by several pro-life organizations to prevent the collection of signatures needed to place the abortion initiative on the ballot. They warned of the misleading language used by those gathering signatures and the external funding driving this initiative.

Inspirational Messages and a Call to Action

Reagan Barklage highlighted the aggressive push by out-of-state companies to reverse Missouri’s pro-life laws. “As we stand here advocating for life, dozens of people are standing throughout our state collecting signatures, seeking to take that right away from the most innocent among us,” she said.

Sam Lee, a founding member of Missouri Stands with Women, stressed the urgency of the situation, stating, “Today we face the threat of Missouri’s constitution being altered and perverted by an extreme abortion initiative petition so that our own state’s bill of rights will include a right to abortion that is far more extensive than Roe vs. Wade ever brought us. What we do over the next 43 days is crucial.”

Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison provided a poignant reflection on the moral landscape post-Dobbs decision, urging continued vigilance and prayer for the pro-life cause. “Roe is gone! But the damage is inestimable. America’s conscience, moral and religious, has died,” he said. Yet, he also found reasons for hope and rejoiced in Missouri’s pro-life stance.

A United Front

Following the rally, the participants marched one mile to the Gateway Arch, showcasing their unwavering support for life and opposition to expanding abortion rights. This event, organized by Coalition Life, was supported by various pro-life groups including Lutherans for Life, The Archdiocese of St. Louis Respect Life Apostolate, Missouri Stands with Women, Pro-Life Ministry at St. Gianna Catholic Church, Missouri Right to Life, Vitae Foundation, and Knights of Columbus Bonnots Mill Council.

For more information on the initiative petition in Missouri and the “Decline to Sign” effort, visit Brian Westbrook’s explainer on our blog.

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