ALEXANDRIA/PINEVILLE – Around 1,200 united on Saturday morning to give central Louisiana a message – all life is priceless.
The first-ever Cenla Louisiana Life March began on the Louisiana College campus and continued through Pineville on Main Street before crossing over the Red River at the Jackson Street Bridge before ending with a post-march rally at the Alexandria Riverfront Amphitheater.
Other Louisiana Life Marches have taken place in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, most recently simultaneously on Jan. 23, but this was the first time such an event was held in the central part of the state.
Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pollock, was among the speakers at the march. He challenged the crowd to become a part of various pro-life causes.
“You can be a part of this too,” he said. “Will you go with me? Let’s speak for those who cannot speak.”
The Louisiana Life March was a chance for different denominations, ages and ethnic and racial backgrounds to march together and pray to declare their opposition to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973. The theme for this year’s march is “Life Is Priceless.”
According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, preliminary numbers for the state in 2013 (latest data available) showed that 10,211 abortions were performed, an average of 28 abortions per day. This was an increase from 9,976 abortions in 2012, continuing a trend from 2011 (9,225) and 2010 (8,955).
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A large crowd walks in the Cenla Louisiana Life March. Organizers estimated the crowd was around 1,200.
