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November 11, 2024By Macie Capote
Clarion Herald
Hundreds of New Orleans residents filled St. Francis Xavier Church in Metairie to show their support at the “Night for Life,” a pro-life event hosted by Louisiana Right to Life. The Oct. 26 event aimed to inspire and educate the pro-life community by sharing personal testimonies, updates on the state’s pro-life movement and ways the Archdiocese of New Orleans can support mothers in need.
Among the speakers for the night were Dr. Angela Parise, a dedicated pro-life obstetrician-gynecologist; Sarah Zagorski Jones, Louisiana Right to Life’s communications director; and comedian and Catholic convert Jen Fulwiler, who ended with a lighthearted and powerful set.
Protecting life
Louisiana Right to Life has been working tirelessly to educate the public about what it means to
be pro-life, especially since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and Zagorski Jones expressed her commitment to truthful advocacy, despite frequent misrepresentation in the media.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen me in the media lately concerning Louisiana’s pro-life laws like the Human Life Protection Act,” said Zagorski Jones, explaining that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she has had to explain and clarify the significance of the Human Life Protection Act, a trigger law that bans abortion in Louisiana except in life-threatening cases for the mother, to many news and media outlets. “The Human Life Protection Act does not prevent clinicians from caring for women in life-or-death situations.”
Despite pushback from abortion advocates, Louisiana Right to Life has been instrumental in passing 71 pro-life laws since 2006, including legislation that effectively closed the state’s three
abortion facilities.
Going against the grain
Parise, who has been an OB-GYN and pro-life advocate for over 24 years, was moved by the number of people who showed up to show their support for the pro-life movement.
“It is incredible to see so many people stand up for life, even when the world says otherwise,” Parise remarked. “We know in our hearts that all life is worth living, no matter the obstacles, the anomalies or the sufferings.”
Parise spoke about the dignity of every human life, sharing her own journey to pro-life convictions from her upbringing in Staten Island during the “my body, my choice” era in the ’70s. She emphasized the importance of being an outspoken voice for life.
“We shouldn’t fear to speak up, because we may be the only source of Jesus someone will ever know,” she said, noting that from a young age, she knew abortion was wrong, and that her medical career has only deepened her passion for life. “It’s time to educate the public and stop this culture of death; reproductive healthcare does not imply the right to have an abortion.”
The evening took a lighthearted turn with Fulwiler, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism and now uses her comedy sets to share her faith journey.
Fulwiler opened her talk by humorously acknowledging the challenge of following Parise’s powerful speech.
“She’s doing true work for the pro-life community and has a testimony that can change the culture – and I have jokes,” she said, sparking laughter.
Fulwiler’s faith journey
Coming from a secular, atheistic background, Fulwiler shared the humorous challenges of raising six children with her husband, both of whom grew up as only children.
“When I got married and started having kids, it was what parenting experts would call a trainwreck,” she said. “I had no idea what I was doing.”
Not only were she and her husband only children, but their parents were only children as well.
“My family tree was becoming a stump,” she joked. “It’s a really depressing situation when your big annual family reunion can fit at a four-top at Applebee’s.”
Fulwiler shared her journey from atheism to Catholicism, where she encountered skepticism about why she would leave the perceived “freedom” of atheism.
“Someone accused me of being weak, saying I only did this because I wanted my life to be easy,” Fulwiler said. “I said, ‘You think I wanted my life to be easy, so I got really involved in the Roman Catholic Church?’ As Catholics, we have all these holidays like Easter, Christmas, Lent and Advent. In atheism, we just had Shark Week.”
Life-affirming support
To end the night, Fulwiler spoke about her personal struggles as a mother with a genetic blood clotting disorder that made her pregnancies much harder. She described the pushback she faced from medical professionals, who often advised abortion or sterilization.
“I had zero support from the medical community,” she said. “My last pregnancy was extremely difficult, and I was faced with so much hostility, but the care I received from the pro-life community cannot be overstated.”
Fulwiler closed by encouraging donations to Louisiana Right to Life and asked the audience to continue their support of pro-life organizations, which offer critical resources to women in similar situations.
For more information on how to donate or to support Louisiana Right to Life, go to https://prolifelouisiana.org/.
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