Rose Day
Catholics Turn Out for Annual Pro-Life Rally

By Eileen Dugan
The Sooner Catholic

OKLAHOMA CITY — “Roses are a symbol of life,” Archbishop Eusebius Beltran told the pro-life supporters on Feb. 8, a day known as Rose Day at the State Capitol. The annual event brings supporters of pro-life legislation to the Capitol where they offer lawmakers roses while asking them to please support laws that protect the sanctity of life.

After passing out roses, those representing the culture of life gathered in the House Chambers where Archbishop Beltran addressed them. “The first right of the human being is life,” the archbishop said. “Respect for human life is called for from conception. New life is created by Almighty God. We truly believe this new life is the image and likeness of God.”

Making their pro-life views known does make a difference, Archbishop Beltran told the audience. It is noted by both legislators and the public, he said.

Archbishop Beltran completed his remarks with facts illustrating the positive effect pro-lifers are having on the abortion issue. Fewer abortions are being preformed now than a decade ago. More Americans now describe themselves as pro-life while the number of pro-choice advocates declines significantly. Ultrasound techniques now reveal the humanity of the unborn child. More pro-life groups have organized and work in crisis pregnancy centers, giving practical assistance to thousands of women facing difficult pregnancies. Most state legislatures now restrict abortions, and young people are being moved by the abortion issue. “It is the young people who are pro-life today,” the archbishop said.

Besides acknowledging the Archbishop’s words with a standing ovation, those in the House Chambers were moved by the powerful testimony of Becky Abell. She shared her painful secret of being a Christian woman who had an abortion. She said the secret had almost destroyed her when she was asked to attend a weekend retreat. At the retreat she was encouraged to share her secret, name her child, and receive love from her fellow retreat participants and forgiveness from the Lord. The retreat changed her life; she now works for a crisis pregnancy center where she ministers to others dealing with traumatic pregnancies.

Rose Day participants asked their legislators to support eight pro-life bills, four in the House and four in the Senate: House Bills 2496, 2614, 2654, and 3001 and Senate Bills 1694, 1898, 1739, and 1781. These bills, while not prohibiting abortions, would provide pregnant women with pro-life counseling and support services or would make certain that women seeking abortions carefully consider what they are about to do.  
 

Top: Grace Oglesby, 2 ½ years old, takes part in the Rose Day events. Middle: Archbishop Beltran with Bishop McGuinness students at Rose Day. Bottom: Archbishop Beltran,  addresses the audience in the House chambers.