Archbishop Jose Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently made a statement on the OneLife LA procession and celebration that took place on Jan. 22. 

OneLife LA began in 2015 as a demonstration of love and mercy and now attracts tens of thousands of participants each year. The event begins with a walk through downtown Los Angeles, and culminates with a celebration including live music, food trucks and speakers. Partners of OneLife LA include many California-based organizations that support pregnant women, refugees, homeless people, survivors of human trafficking, elderly and disabled people, and foster children. 

“This morning, #OneLifeLA was a time for laughing and dancing," Gomez said in a Tweet. "And we conclude our day with a darker, quiet liturgy – a time of mourning for the lives that will never be – because of abortion."

Every year, hundreds of thousands of participants attend the march, many of them high school and college students, according to Heavy.com.

Many parishes and dioceses hold pro-life events in January, according to The Rhode Island Catholic.

“My brothers and sisters, tonight we mourn those little ones lost," Gomez said in another Tweet. "We weep for their mothers and fathers, for our city and country – where the routine taking of innocent life goes on every day, year-in and year-out."

The first March for Life was organized by Nellie Gray and took place in January 1974, one year after the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion in Roe v. Wade. Gray decided there should be a March for Life every year until the decision is overturned.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was heard by the Supreme Court on Dec. 1. The case involves a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks except in the cases of medical emergencies and “severe fatal abnormality.” Mississippi is seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

According to The National Review, Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out that the United States is one of only seven countries that allows abortion after 20 weeks into pregnancy. The other countries that allow abortion that late are North Korea, China, Vietnam, Canada, Singapore and the Netherlands, according to the National Review.