ABORTION CASE TO BE RECALLED

The unborn, aged, sick and handicapped will be the focus of Sanctity of Life Sunday, Jan. 26.

Events co-sponsored by Voice for Life and Semo Lifesavers will remember the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion on Jan. 22, 1973.

Teresa LeGrand, chairwoman of the southeast region of Missouri Right to Life, said people have come together since 1974 to call attention to the issue of abortion and to consider the lives of the unborn babies and their parents.

"We just call remembrance to the decision and to the nearly 35 million babies that have been aborted since then, as well as to their parents," LeGrand said, adding that there will probably be about 100 people participating in the scheduled events.

Bishop John J. Leibrecht, head of the Catholic Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese, will be one of those participating. He said this year the event will encompass much more than the issue of abortion.

"We believe life is sacred, and we believe we should do what we can to help others," Leibrecht said. "For us, when we talk about the sanctity of human life, we are talking about the unborn, the aged, and the sick and handicapped."

It was important to include other issues this year, said Leibrecht, because of the physician-assisted suicide cases currently being argued to the U.S. Supreme Court. We cannot limit our observance only to the welfare of the unborn, he said. Sanctity of life means just that, he said, and all aspects of it should be considered.

Leibrecht said he alternates his participation in Sanctity of Life Sunday between St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield and St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau. This year, he will lead Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. He will also lead a special service at the Cemetery of the Innocent, located at Interstate 55 at Exit 96, at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

A reception is scheduled at the Drury Inn and Suites following the prayer service.