Catholic activist Nellie Gray organized the first March for Life in 1974 to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Fifty years later, even after the 2022 decision was overturned Roe v. Wadepro-life activists don’t feel like their work is done.
After Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationthe organizers of the national march, considered to be the the largest annual pro-life gathering in the world, “I thought it was possible last year to have a little less people,” said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life. Christianity today.
“And to my delight, it was wrong. We had a really big crowd last year, a really energetic crowd, and we’re expecting nothing less this year.
Days before the 2024 event, an arctic explosion sweeps across much of the United States covered Washington, D.C., closes area schools and delays flights for thousands of participants heading to the capital. Friday’s forecast calls for another layer of snow.
But pro-life organizers don’t expect bad weather to deter participation: They estimate the crowd could reach 100,000 people. The crowd will benefit from student campus activistscongregants from evangelical and Catholic churches, staff from pro-life nonprofit organizations, and volunteers from across the country.
“We’re proud to be out there every year en masse, you know, to show the nation that this generation rejects abortion and that we’re moving forward in our mission in this post-abortion time.Roe deer world,” Kristan Hawkins, founder and president of Students for Life of America, told CT.
Hawkins expects to see more discussion this year about the goals of the pro-life movement, especially around election time.
While pro-lifers have always aimed to overturn constitutional protections for abortion, the movement has also had many more goals. “Our goal is to end abortion. Make abortion unthinkable and unavailable in our country. And it’s a dual focus,” she said, “that requires cultural change, that requires practical, tangible support, that requires policy change. It is therefore necessary that all these types of cylinders light up at all times. »
The pre-March rally features former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Focus on the Family President Jim Daly. THE line up also includes a pastor, a pregnancy resource center director and a student who is president of a Students for Life club at Penn State University.
Since Dobbs, pro-life leaders say they are much more focused on pro-life legislation and policy, although it’s not a new direction. The group also plans to expand its presence in the states through a program of national marches. This program began in 2018 and this year, marches will take place in 24 state capitals.
“We want to be in all 50 states in the next six or seven years,” Mancini said.
The new route of the march also reflects this direction: the organizers slightly modified the original route, which ended in front of the Supreme Court. Now it always starts at the National Mall, goes down Constitution Avenue NW, takes a few turns past the Capitol, and ends with the protesters having the Supreme Court on the right and the Capitol building on the left.
This year’s theme for the walk is “With Every Woman, For Every Child,” which aims to highlight the work that pregnancy resource centers provide to women and families.
“I think the theme of the march says what the pro-life movement has always done, but shows that we recognize that now, in a post-life context.Roe deer world, we need to do it even more, which is to be with every woman and support every child,” said Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which includes more of 7,000 doctors.
Francis and his fellow pro-life doctors will march together in white coats, as they do every year. She says she is often thanked by march participants, who are encouraged to meet with pro-life medical professionals.
This year, as debates unfold around state ballot initiatives, there is confusion over whether abortion restrictions affect pregnant women in other circumstances. Francis, a gynecologist in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said doctors know the difference between treating a miscarriage and performing an abortion.
“A large portion of the American public feels compelled to support abortion so that women can receive life-saving care, so that women can receive treatment for their miscarriages. And that’s just not the case,” Francis said. “We can still take good care of women and their children, we can still intervene when we need to when a mother’s life is in danger. »
The march itself is just one part of a series of events and activities organized and attended by pro-life organizations, church leaders and activists.
Friday morning is the March for Life exhibit at a Washington, D.C., hotel, where organizers are holding training on how people can engage with elected officials about the pro-life cause. Friday ends with the annual Rose Gala Dinner.
There are also other events, including the evening National prayer vigil for life, which begins Thursday evening and continues until the morning of the march. It is organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Two other prominent Catholic groups, the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus, host a Life Fest event aimed at reaching young people.
Students for Life co-hosted the National Pro-Life Summit held Saturday. The sold-out event is expected to attract 1,800 people.
“We can all agree that we are in a new season, a post-Roe deer season, and that changing hearts and minds is the end goal here,” Mancini said. “There is a need not only to change laws, but to change hearts and minds and speak the truth in a culture of confusion on this issue. »
