Resources:

Highlights from the March for Life from the National Catholic Register: SophiaOnline.org/LifeisWinning
Roe v. Wade: SophiaOnline.org/RoevWade
March for Life Time Lapse video: SophiaOnline.org/MarchforLifeTimeLapse

Lesson Plan:

1. Have your students read the NCR article about the March for Life as well as the short description of the question and the ruling in Roe v. Wade.
2. As a class, go over the discussion questions 1-8. Use the information in the answer key to help guide discussion.
3. Put your students in groups of three or four to discuss questions 9-12. After a few moments, come together a large group to share responses.
4. If you have personally gone to the March, share some stories of the experience with your students. Invite students to do the same. Show the time lapse video (and or other photos online) to give your students a sense of the size of the March and the form this witness takes.
5. If neither you or your students have attended the March, consider inviting someone who has attended to share photographs or other mementos of the trip.

Answer Key:

1. The March for Life is an annual rally in Washington D.C. held to peacefully protest the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion on demand in all 50 states. The March attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all around the country and even the world. Marchers first gather on the National Mall to listen to testimonies, influential speakers in the pro-life movement, and hear from pro-life politicians. Then, the entire crowd marches from the National Mall to the steps of the Supreme Court, which decided Roe v. Wade in 1973, as a sign of solidarity. This year marks the 45th March for Life.
2. Because it marks the anniversary of the decision in Roe v. Wade, decided on January 22, 1973.
3. States had to allow abortion. The existing laws against abortion in 46 states were overturned or affected.
4. The Court could overturn its own decision by ruling in a new case that the Constitution does not in fact protect a woman’s “right” to an abortion. The second way would be by constitutional amendment.
5. The power to outlaw abortion would return to the states. Some would probably ban or limit it, as many did before the decision in Roe v. Wade, while some would probably continue to allow it, as many did before the decision in Roe v. Wade.
6. Accept reasoned answers.
7. Every human being has the right to life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Abortion is a direct violation of the Fifth Commandment because it intentionally kills an innocent and defenseless human life. God is the origin and the end of every human life. Therefore, every human life is sacred and possesses an inherent dignity that cannot be taken away.
8. Accept reasoned answers. Students should recognize that as a society we are not doing all that we can to protect those in need, especially those who are the most innocent, defenseless, and vulnerable – unborn babies.
9. Accept reasoned answers
10. Accept reasoned answers
11. Accept reasoned answers
12. Accept reasoned answers