The 49th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., is well under way, as thousands of pro-life advocates gather to show their support for ending legal abortion.

Considering that the catechism of the Catholic Church expressly prohibits and opposes abortion, the March for Life historically garners substantial support from many different Catholic organizations. One such institution, the Catholic University of America — located in the nation's capital — cancels classes so that students may show solidarity with the pro-life cause. And every year, Catholic groups across the country send buses full of people to Washington, where they gather to pray for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and march to protect the rights of the unborn.

However, it appears that not every nominally Catholic organization is interested in adhering to the Vatican's teachings on abortion. Catholics for Choice — a pro-abortion organization — openly defies established Catholic doctrine and advocates for a "full range of reproductive healthcare services, including safe and legal abortion."

This group's open defiance of the catechism was on full display Thursday night, as the organization projected a pro-abortion message onto the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to protest the parish's pre-March for Life prayer vigil.

So I\u2019m outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC, and Catholics for Choice is here projecting messages onto the church in support of abortion rights.\n\nThe protest coincides with the basilica\u2019s \u201cprayer vigil for life,\u201d happening inside.pic.twitter.com/0y1M7X9ByC

— Jack Jenkins (@Jack Jenkins) 1642721480

The pro-choice organization's protest was met with a mix of online condemnation and applause, with leaders in the church labeling the sophomoric antics an "attempted desecration" and "diabolical."

The attempted desecration is enormous. Diabolical. Mother Mary, pray for them, now and at the hour of death. Amen.https://twitter.com/APdubs/status/1484339408169885704\u00a0\u2026

— Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (@Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone) 1642735083

This year's March for Life is of particular importance to many attendees, as the Supreme Court will rule in the coming months on whether a Mississippi law preventing abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy is constitutional. Should the Supreme Court uphold the Mississippi state law, it may also overturnRoe v. Wade, the 1973 case legalizing abortion.

Should Roe v. Wade get overturned, several states stand at the ready to introduce robust legal protections for the unborn.

Since 1973, there have been a total of 63,459,781 abortions in the United States, the overwhelming majority of which are sought for reasons unrelated to the mother's physical or mental health. As of 2016, there are 186 abortions performed for every 1,000 live births — about one in five children are aborted.

The March for Life is the largest pro-life rally in the United States, with thousands of attendees each year. With the Supreme Court approaching a verdict in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, it's possible that the United States enters an era when abortion is not protected at the federal level — at which point, Catholics for Choice will still be blasphemous.