Marchers turned out by the thousands Friday to participate in the 51st annual March for Life in Washington D.C. This year’s theme, “With Every Woman, For Every Child,” prompted speakers to heavily promote the work of pregnancy resource centers in supporting both mothers and their babies.
Mass for Life
The festivities kicked off Thursday evening, as pilgrims gathered for the March for Life vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. At the mass, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge said that while the overturn of Roe v. Wade was a victory, the work of the pro-life movement is far from over.
“If the past year and a half has taught us anything, it is this: Dobbs is not the end. It is a victory — a tremendous victory — but not a decisive one,” he said.
“All of human life is sacred. The right to life is absolutely fundamental. No one has a right to directly take the life of another. No one has a right to devalue another.”
“More than anything,” Burbidge added, “we must continue to serve, as the theme for the 2024 March for Life reminds us: With every mother, for every child.”
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Life Fest
Friday morning, many participants gathered for the second annual Life Fest hosted by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus at Washington, D.C.’s armory. That event, which was geared toward the youth and young people attending the March, included worship, music, and speeches.
“This is such a pivotal time in our history,” Sister Charity of the Sisters of Life told the crowd. “We know that the task of building a culture of life is just beginning. How can we ensure that every unborn child is reverenced and welcomed as a gift? How can we support every pregnant woman so she knows she’s not alone? How can we heal from the wounds of abortion as a nation, as families, and as individuals? How can we spread the good news of the gospel of life, the truth that every life matters, that your life matters? Love is the answer.”
March for Life
The March itself drew tens of thousands of people, despite the snowy weather. March for Life President Jeanne Mancini explained that the theme for the year “is at the heart of what the pro-life movement is all about, helping mothers and babies fully, humanly, flourish.” Mancini also noted that though Roe is overturned, the pro-life movement is more important than ever. “Make no mistake, we will march until abortion is unthinkable,” she said.
Among those addressing the crowd was Jean-Marie Davis, executive director of Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Vermont. Davis told the crowd that it was a pregnancy resource center that helped her escape sex trafficking. Live Action News previously featured Davis’ story here.
Also speaking was Aisha Taylor, a woman who said her twins are alive today thanks to the work of a pregnancy resource center. In an act of desperation during her pregnancy, Taylor said she called an abortion facility to schedule an appointment.
“Thank God, they did not answer the phone. I never made the appointment,” she said. “But do you know who did answer the phone when I needed them? My local pregnancy center. The woman listened to me cry and reassured me that everything was going to be OK. It was just what I needed to hear to come to that appointment instead of trying to call the abortion center again. And so I am eternally grateful that I found the pregnancy center.”
“I want to tell everyone marching today that your work matters,” Taylor continued. “It was people like you that allowed someone like me to choose life for my unborn twins. And there are so many people like me who need people like you to be there to give them hope and a pathway forward when they’re experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson also addressed the crowd, noting that his parents chose life for him when they were just teenagers.
“I am myself the product of an unplanned pregnancy,” Johnson said in his address. “In January of 1972, exactly one year before Roe v. Wade, my parents, who were just teenagers at the time, chose life and I am very profoundly grateful that they did.”
“Let’s be encouraged, let’s press on and hope that we can join together and make this great difference,” he added. “We can stand with every woman for every child, and we can truly build a culture that cherishes and protects life.”
In a surprise appearance, Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh introduced the March’s keynote speaker, NFL star Benjamin Watson. an outspoken advocate for life.
“Roe is done, but we still live in a culture that knows not how to care for life,” said Watson. “Roe is done, but the factors that drive women to seek abortions are ever apparent and ever increasing. Roe is done, but abortion is still legal and thriving in too much of America.”
“The fight for life is not over. God’s word challenges us in the book of Micah to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly before our God. I believe that this is the essence of what it means to be ‘with every woman and for every child.'”
Watson then gave a call to action to all those in the crowd.
“Men, in a country where too many of our marriages are crumbling, go back to your homes and fight for your families,” he said. “Civic leaders, in the current climate of compromise, go back to your committees and your communities and legislate for life and for justice. Front-line workers… go back to your post knowing that every encounter is not simply about saving one child but you are saving generations. All you young people… go back to your schools and go back to your teams and your churches, be leaders that are unashamed to stand for life.”
