A Chicago cardinal expressed hope that legal protections for the unborn will be on the horizon.
"We have many reasons to be hopeful that the legal protections for the child in the womb, which we have advocated for decades, will soon become a reality," Cardinal Blase Cupich told Chicago's March of Life rally.
"But as we've heard already today, that's really not our only goal. We march today for respect for all human life. That's the goal that we need to pursue."
Cupich's remarks come as the Supreme Court is weighing the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which addresses the state of Mississippi's appeal on a lower court injunction against its law curbing most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.
Cupich told Saturday's rally he laments those who are seeing life as "disposable," which "sends a message that every human life is meaningless" and he pushed for "the advocacy for the human right to life at all stages."
"We're fighting to defend the truth that we're born in order not to die, but in order to begin," Cupich said. "My hope is that you will continue to fight for the right to life of the unborn. That's what should unite us all. That's what's so important."
Cupich's remarks were interrupted a number of times, including by protesters advocating for abortion.
"These people won't let me talk, because they're not here to respect the unborn," he said. "They're not here to respect you."
Cupich has been criticized by some in the Catholic church for representing U.S. Democrats at the Vatican, and he was a prominent figure in pushing back against Catholic bishops who sought to deny communion to political figures who supported abortion, issuing a controversial rebuke of that cause on President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day.
Cupich also heard boos from the March for Life rally crowd when he advocated for mask wearing outdoors.
"You know, we come here in these days of the pandemic when life is threatened, and I'm so glad that I see many of you wearing masks," he said to a smattering of boos. "I hope that you continue to look for ways in which we can end this pandemic by promoting life. It's really important to do that."
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