{"id":818,"date":"2012-08-14T21:37:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-14T21:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pro-life-community-grieves-death-of-nellie-gray\/"},"modified":"2012-08-14T21:37:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-14T21:37:00","slug":"pro-life-community-grieves-death-of-nellie-gray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/08\/pro-life-community-grieves-death-of-nellie-gray\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro-life community grieves death of Nellie Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Aug 14, 2012 \/ 03:37 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pro-life leaders across the country are mourning the death of Nellie Gray, the woman who founded the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. to commemorate each January the legalization of abortion.<\/p>\n

\tDr. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, described Gray as \u201ca visionary woman\u201d with \u201ca fierce heart that valued all people \u2013 born and unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tYoest explained that Gray \u201cunderstood the importance of a national memorial event to commemorate the significance of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe annual march has become a \u201cvisual reminder of the broken hearts of millions of Americans who continue to struggle with the callous attitude of the abortion industry toward unborn children and their vulnerable mothers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tOn the evening of Aug. 13, news broke that Gray had passed away over the weekend in her Washington, D.C. home. She was 86 years old.<\/p>\n

\tBorn in Big Spring, Texas, Gray served in the Women\u2019s Army Corps during World War II and worked for nearly 30 years for the U.S. Department of State and Department of Labor.<\/p>\n

\tIn 1974, Gray helped found the March for Life as a way to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States.<\/p>\n

\tThe march has become an annual event, drawing hundreds of thousands of people, including youth from all over the nation, to stand up for the dignity of human life in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

\tNews of Gray\u2019s death was met with sorrow from leaders of the pro-life community, as well as praise for the work that she accomplished.<\/p>\n

\tMarjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said that Gray \u201cbegan and maintained a purity of intention rare to any human rights movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tShe explained that Gray relied upon \u201cthe power of the Holy Spirit\u201d to guide her, and showed that this was \u201cmore effective than all the political strategy this world could formulate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tU.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus, applauded Gray\u2019s commitment to the march, even \u201cin the worst of weather and poor health.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tWithout a doubt, he said, \u201ccountless preborn children have been saved\u201d by Gray\u2019s leadership, and \u201cmillions of lives have been touched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tObserving how the annual march \u201crefuels the passion of pro-life Americans,\u201d Smith vowed that the pro-life community will continue Gray\u2019s legacy \u201cof unceasing commitment to defending the unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCatholic professor and researcher Michael J. New reflected in a National Review Online article that while pro-lifers may be tempted to take the March for Life for granted, it is \u201cactually a remarkable achievement,\u201d uniting scores of pro-life groups across the country, despite their differences in strategy and religious belief.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, New said, many people do not realize that Gray \u2013 who had a law degree from Georgetown University \u2013 was also influential in crafting ideas for a Human Life Amendment that could be added to the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

\tThe annual March for Life has made a powerful impression on many of those who have had the opportunity to witness it, including Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.<\/p>\n

\tA 2010 article in Newsweek magazine quoted Keenan recalling the experience of seeing the pro-life crowds gathered in Washington, D.C. for the march one year.<\/p>\n

\t\"I just thought, my gosh, they are so young,\" she said. \"There are so many of them, and they are so young.\"<\/p>\n

\tCommemorating 40 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, the next March for Life will be held in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2013.<\/p>\n

\tYoest said that Gray will be missed at the upcoming march, but added that the pro-life community will continue in her footsteps \u201cwith deep gratitude for the example she set of sacrifice and commitment to the human rights struggle of our day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Washington D.C., Aug 14, 2012 \/ 03:37 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pro-life leaders across the country are mourning the death of Nellie Gray, the woman who founded the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. to commemorate each January the legalization of ab…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nPro-life community grieves death of Nellie Gray<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Aug 14, 2012 \/ 03:37 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pro-life leaders across the country are mourning the death of Nellie Gray, the woman who founded the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. to commemorate each January the legalization of ab...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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