Thousands gather for Illinois March for Life

CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Thousands gather for Illinois March for Life

More than 2,000 participants gathered for the Illinois March for Life on Tuesday at the state Capitol building in Springfield.

Dr. Christina Francis, the CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, spoke at the rally on treating mothers and babies as two patients and criticizing pro-abortion measures in the state.

Other speakers included state Rep. Adam Niemerg, former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, and Mary Kate Zander, the president of Illinois Right to Life and Illinois Right to Life Action, as well as other pro-life political and faith leaders.

Pro-lifers marched for babies in the womb but also against state legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide, according to the Diocese of Springfield.

A Mass for life at the Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois, Springfield, was packed, largely with students from Catholic grade schools, high schools, and Newman Centers from around the state.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki was the main celebrant, while Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern gave the homily. Paprocki also led the crowd in prayer at the march. 

The Diocese of Springfield in a press release highlighted the large percentage of teenagers and young adults in attendance. 

Indiana judge pauses access to state abortion records

An Indiana judge on Monday ruled against the release of the Indiana Department of Health’s abortion records, handing a win to two doctors who argued the records should be kept private. 

The state had agreed to distribute the records earlier this year after a lawsuit brought by the Thomas More Society on behalf of the pro-life group Voices for Life. The group had been permitted to review abortion access records before the state blocked them from doing so in 2023. 

In February the state agreed to once again allow access to the records. But Indianapolis physicians Caitlin Bernard and Caroline Rouse had argued in a lawsuit that it would violate patient privacy, leading Marion County Superior Court Judge James Joven to grant a preliminary injunction this week.

The judge ruled that the information could be increasingly personal as more details are required to be included following Indiana’s increased abortion restrictions in 2023. 

The injunction will remain until the court makes a final decision on the case. Aggregated data is still made public quarterly. 

California bill could force emergency rooms to prioritize abortions

The California Catholic Conference has urged Catholics to take action against a bill they say would redefine emergency health services to include abortion and would “force emergency rooms to prioritize abortion over caring for both mom and baby.”

The bill continues to move through the state Legislature after a recent hearing on March 25 in the state Assembly’s health committee.

“We need as many voices raised on this as we can,”  said Molly Sheahan, associate director for Healthy Families, a branch of the California Catholic Conference.

The conference told Catholics to inform the state that “emergency services are integral to a hospital’s ministry to the community, providing critical, timely care in life-threatening situations.” 

“Calling out abortion as the only explicitly required medical intervention in emergency services gives abortion disproportionate weight for clinicians examining and evaluating pregnant patients,” the conference said.

The conference also noted that the bill “does not include consideration for the fetal patient, as federal law EMTALA [the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act] provides” and noted that lifesaving intervention should balance “the life and health of both.” 

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262999/thousands-gather-for-illinois-march-for-life