By Tammy Murga, The San Diego Union-Tribune The Tribune Content Agency
Ahead of his permanent move to Washington, D.C., San Diego's first-ever cardinal wanted thousands of people who attended Saturday's 13th annual Walk for Life to remember one thing: honor human life.
"It is the will of God that all of us recognize the sacredness of the human person and particularly the sacredness of unborn children, because in our national debates, that is being eclipsed and obscured and cast aside," Cardinal Robert McElroy said from a stage set up at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego.
The event, organized by the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese, brought together an estimated 2,500 people of all ages to march against abortion. Dozens held signs that read "Life is a right, not an option" and "Abortion stops a beating heart." Some prayed and others sang during the walk that looped around the park. Adoption services, churches and anti-abortion groups also attended to promote their causes.
Among the attendees was Adelina Gonzalez of Imperial Valley. Feeling lonely and scared, she had an abortion at the age of 23 but immediately regretted it, she said to the crowd following the walk. In 2018, more than 40 years after her abortion, she said she visited Rachel's Hope, a post-abortion retreat center in San Diego.
"That year, my life changed forever," she said. "I am a happy person and I have peace in my heart. ... If you know someone who has had an abortion, don't let them go through so many years before they get any help."
Anna Fredett and Cindy Graf, both 22, couldn't help but notice the large number of youth that attended - many more than they remembered from the 2016 Walk for Life.
"There are so many signs that say, 'I'm the pro-life generation,' and it's true. We're making a difference," said Fredett. "But we need to just show up and be witnesses, and that will help many more young people realize that this is such a bigger and more important thing than it's being presented."
The event went on without counter-protesting.
A few hundred yards to the south, Laila Latasa was hoisting a sign reading "Smash the Patriarchy" for the People's March also held Saturday at Waterfront Park. The march, calling for justice and equality for all, comes days before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term.
The 19-year-old tutor from Oceanside said she was extremely concerned about preserving her legal ability to make important decisions for herself.
"I'm here to stand up for women," said Latasa. "It's ridiculous we still have to be here to fight for our rights - for control over our own bodies and to love who we love."
Latasa said she was also very concerned about what the incoming president and his political appointees might do in the coming months and years. Trump's handpicked U.S. Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, in June 2022. Many argue that further restrictions on abortion are coming under his second term. Abortion remains legal in California.
McElroy, who has led the Walk for Life event for the last 10 years, recently offered a public prayer for Trump, asking that the president-elect and other incoming leaders "transform our political culture so that genuine dialogue and devotion to the sacred dignity of the human person will characterize our government at every level."
The cardinal, who will participate in the National Walk of Life event in the nation's capital on Friday, will take over the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Washington starting in March.
Staff writer Jeff McDonald contributed to this report.