Pro-life Concerns Mentioned at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

"And on this eve of the completion of 40 years since Roe vs. Wade, may we all recommit ourselves to the dream that one day our unborn brothers and sisters will be able to say, Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

P>ATLANTA, GA (Priests for Life) - Having just returned from the 45th Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement:

"I was pleased to join with the King family once again today in honoring the memory and recommitting ourselves to the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "

"In particular, Elder Bernice King, Martin's daughter, made reference to the fact that Dr. King was not just speaking for the Negro, but "for all marginalized people," and she referred to the need to affirm the "personhood" of all.

"The keynote speaker, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, made this even more explicit when he said that living out the dream of Dr. King, and seeking justice, require that we end violence "in and outside the womb" and that part of the cry of justice today is to "defend life."

"On this holiday in honor of Dr. King, I want to again bring attention to the statement, The Beloved Community and the Unborn, signed by several members of the King family.

"And on this eve of the completion of 40 years since Roe vs. Wade, may we all recommit ourselves to the dream that one day our unborn brothers and sisters will be able to say, Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"