Today, Washington, D.C., hosted the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world–the National March for Life—advocating for the protection of babies in the womb.
Pro-life friends from all across the nation gathered to celebrate and rally for life. Today’s march was the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the United States Supreme Court. The energy in the crowd was palpable.
This time last year, the Supreme Court had already held oral argument in the case that reversed Roe, but the outcome was not known until last June. Attendees at the march last January were cautiously optimistic but had no idea what the Court would decide.
Today was a day to celebrate that win for life. Since Roe was decided 50 years ago, the pro-life movement has labored tirelessly to see it reversed and constitutional order restored. Praise God for answering our prayers!
Today was also an opportunity to come together and recognize that the hard work of building a culture of life in America is still ongoing.
This year planners of the March for Life made it their goal to “inspire clarity and enthusiasm among all pro-life people in this critical next phase of building a culture of life.”
We Are Messengers, the GMA Dove-nominated and K-LOVE Award-winning band, kicked off the pro-life event with a pre-rally concert and challenged attendees, “The work is just starting. We have to make abortion just as unthinkable as slavery.” They sang their hit song “Image of God” with lyrics reminding all of us that “we are made, made in the image of, made in the image of God, beautiful shades of love.”
Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life, opened the rally by answering the question, “Why keep marching even after Roe has been overturned?” Her response was concise and poignant. She said, “We will keep marching until abortion is unthinkable.”
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who won the Supreme Court case that overturned Roe, told the audience that although Roe has been reversed, there is still much more work to do. She said, “…until we can give women and their children what they need to thrive, and until we can change our laws to reflect our compassion, life remains fragile.”
Many pro-life legislators attended the March for Life rally and spoke about the need to pass laws that protect life. Congressman Chris Smith, a strong pro-life advocate on Capitol Hill, praised the recent efforts of pro-life House members to pass life-affirming measures.
Coach Tony Dungy, a father to 11 children–eight of whom are adopted, addressed March for Life attendees. He told them, “Every day in this country, innocent lives are at stake. We have to pray.” Coach Tony was at the March for Life with his wife, Lauren, and their adopted daughter. Lauren Dungy shared with the crowd how adoption has blessed their family.
Casey Gunning, a young woman with Down syndrome from Colorado, owned the stage when she told the crowd, “I have an awesome life. I have Down syndrome, but Down syndrome does not define me. I am defined by God! He says we are all priceless, born or unborn, disability or not. We are all priceless.”
Jonathan Roumie, who plays ‘Jesus’ in The Chosen, addressed participants at the March for Life, “You have chosen to journey to our nation’s capital today not only to mourn the lives lost to abortion, but also to champion those lives yet to be born.”
It was evident after listening to the speakers at the March for Life that the next steps in advancing a culture of life will be two-part.
First, we must advance pro-life laws across the nation. Passing life-affirming laws won’t be easy, but President of Focus on the Family Jim Daly believes, “Americans are hungry for principled leadership and elected representatives who will advocate for policies that promise to strengthen the family and empower moms and dads.”
Second, the pro-life community must continue to do the essential work of helping moms and saving babies from the tragedy of abortion. Pro-life pregnancy resource centers assist over two million people every year. This life-affirming work is critical to developing a culture of life.
What an exciting time to be pro-life! There is so much to celebrate. And there is still much more work to be done.
This is the time to be bold, to be brave, to be creative, to serve with gladness and to love others well. As the pro-life community continues to live out our pro-life ethic, we WILL influence our culture for life!
Photo from Shutterstock.
