About 35 Archbishop Carroll students and teachers attended the annual March for Life on Jan. 20, where they came together with fellow pro-life advocates and marched around the Capitol building in Washington D.C. to protest abortion.

Excitement was heightened this year for Carroll’s marchers because the trip was cancelled last year after the charter bus broke down before arriving at the school to pick up participants. 

The March for Life is an event during which thousands of people who oppose abortion come together in Washington, D.C. Friday’s event was the first March for Life since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that determined the U.S. Constitution protected a woman’s right to an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling meant that the decision about the legality of abortion is now in the hands of the country’s 50 states.

Carroll’s Pro-Life Club and faculty took on the March for Life to help the fight against abortion continue. 

“It definitely feels different to lead the March for Life trip,” said teacher Miss Suzanne Carpenter. “There are additional responsibilities and important decisions to be made (sometimes on the spur of the moment). While leading the trip, my primary focus was on the safety and well-being of all students attending. I wanted everyone to enjoy the march and fully reflect on the importance of the event. When I was a Carroll student, I felt honored to participate in the March for Life with Mr. Kirsch and my peers. Even though Roe v. Wade has been overturned (praise God!), my feelings about the March have not changed. I believe that Americans must continue to advocate for every individual’s right to life- especially for those who cannot defend themselves. The March provides a wonderful opportunity for pro-lifers across the U.S. to stand in solidarity and make our voices heard. I feel blessed to give Carroll students the opportunity to stand up for life on a local and national level. This is a God-given responsibility we all share, and I hope we continue to remain faithful to this important mission.” 

Carroll’s March for Life participants had Mass in the morning and then boarded the bus for Washington, D.C., at 9 a.m. Friday. 

“I am so proud of the other students that came together to support life and represent Carroll at the March,” said the president of the Pro-Life Club, Rebecca Wallgren. “This is actually my second time going to the March for Life with Carroll, and, for most of the other students, it was their first time. I’m hoping that the Pro-Life Club can continue to grow at Carroll in the years to come.”

Senior Aj Dilks compared his experience from previous years with this year’s event. 

“During freshman year I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was more oblivious in realizing that there would be counter-protests, graphic images, and crazy people,” said senior AJ Dilks. “The march felt very long during my freshman year because it was so frigid. This year the march had seemed faster maybe because it was not as cold. Because we missed two years of the protest due to COVID, I wasn’t sure if going this year would be like I remembered. As I have learned about the topic through my four years at Carroll, I realized how important our presence and our voices are at the March for Life. Everyone there was loving and peaceful. This year I helped people by holding banners or giving directions and for that reason this year I felt more useful. The largest difference this year is, of course, the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The march focus my freshman year was overturning the [decision] that federally allowed abortions; now that it is a state decision. Our march this year was focusing on legislation and outlawing abortions in states. I am so proud that I attended the first March for Life after Roe v. Wade has been overturned because it means to me our voices did something.”