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A new poll has found that a majority of Americans support some limits on abortion and that Americans’ attitudes toward abortion have not significantly changed since last January, even with the overturning of Roe v Wade taking place last June. Conducted by Marist and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the 2023 poll found that when asked whether they identify as “pro-life” or “pro-choice,” 61% of Americans identify with the latter, compared with 39% who describe themselves as pro-life. However, the poll also found that 69% of Americans support limiting abortion to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy. That figure is comparable to the 2022 poll, conducted before the overturning of Roe, in which 71% of respondents agreed that abortion should not be allowed after the first trimester. Only 21% of Americans overall said they support abortion on demand. The US Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned a previously-found constitutional right to abortion instead returning the question of abortion policy to each individual state. In last year’s poll, respondents were asked their opinion on how abortion should be regulated, and 44% said abortion policy should be determined at the state level.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253383/majority-of-americans-support-restrictions-on-abortion-new-knightsmarist-poll-shows
Pro-life Americans from across the country are planning to attend the March for Life — which calls itself the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world — on Friday, January 20, in Washington, DC. It will be the first March for Life held in a post-Roe America. Catholic pro-life leaders agree that this year’s demonstration is more important than ever, to provide a prayerful witness to the sanctity of life in the face of a push for abortion legalization at the federal level and in many states. Stay tuned to Catholic News Agency dot com for the latest updates on the March for Life, on Friday.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253385/2023-march-for-life-7-things-for-pro-lifers-to-know
The persecution of Christians is at its highest point in three decades, according to the latest report from advocacy group Open Doors. The World Watch List, released by Open Doors on January 18, reported that, overall, the number of Christians facing persecution worldwide remained steady in 2022 at approximately 360 million. In a list of the 50 countries with the most persecution, North Korea returned to the first spot in 2022. The year prior, Afghanistan had landed in the top ranking following the Taliban’s takeover of the country’s government. Afghanistan ranks ninth in the latest list because the country’s Christians have either been killed, fled, or are in strict hiding. The other countries classified as having “extreme” levels of Christian persecution this year are Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, and India.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253386/report-christian-persecution-at-its-highest-point-in-30-years
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Canutus, King of Denmark, who succeeded his elder brother Harold on the throne of Denmark in the year 1080. The justice of Saint Canutus as sovereign was well known. His charity and tenderness towards his subjects made him study all possible ways to make them a happy people. He was martyred during a rebellion in his kingdom.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-canutus-king-of-denmark-121