Thousands of Pro-Life Americans Attend 51st Annual March for Life in Nation’s Capital

Snow and cold weather didn’t stop thousands of pro-life Americans from rallying together and marching in Washington, D.C., to advance the cause of life for every preborn baby.

This was the second March for Life since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and the crowd was as energized as ever.

The pre-rally kick-off included a concert by Danny Gokey, former semi-finalist on American Idol and three-time Grammy Nominee. Gokey  warmed up the crowd with one of his hit songs, “Stand in Faith,” encouraging them to walk by faith as they work to advance pro-life policies in America.

Jeanine Mancini, President of the March for Life, opened the rally by declaring that the pro-life movement is about helping mothers and babies flourish. According to Mancini, 60% of women who chose abortion would have chosen life if they had more support. Mancini told the crowd that these moms need to know they can do this, and we will help them.

The March for Life’s theme this year, “With Every Woman, For Every Child,” highlights the phenomenal work being done by pregnancy resource centers.

Pregnancy resource centers, Mancini said, are the “backbone of the pro-life movement.”

In 2022, pregnancy resources centers across the nation provided $358 million in resources to women and families experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Those resource services included housing, counseling, prenatal medical care, baby supplies, diapers, clothing, formula, parenting classes, adoption support, and more. According to Mancini, 83% of Americans support pregnancy resource centers.

Organizers of the national March for Life announced the lineup of state marches for 2024, including Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio. The national March for Life organizers plan to expand to all 50 states. 

The crowd’s attitude at the march was one of celebration and sober optimism — celebrating the lives saved from abortion and sober optimism as we look at the challenges the pro-life movement faces in the post-Roe era.

In the past year and a half, tens of thousands of mothers and babies in America have been saved from the tragedy of abortion. For the pro-life movement, even one life saved is cause for rejoicing; tens of thousands of unique individual souls saved is truly incredible.

The sheer magnitude of the lives that will be lived, families that will be started, and contributions these men and women (and their descendants) will have on our world is astounding. Indeed, it’s already changed the course of history!

And yet, challenges remain. Chief among them is changing cultural opinion on abortion. Moving away from a culture of death and towards a life-affirming society that embraces the beauty and dignity of each human life from the moment it begins in the womb.

Jim Daly, President and CEO of Focus on the Family summed up this moment in time quite well,

We aren’t where we want to be. 

We aren’t where we ought to be. 

But thank God we aren’t where we used to be.

Daly said that success and failure aren’t measured by the ballot box but by the resolve and commitment of the pro-life movement. He said, “When it comes to defending the most innocent, we stand like a rock.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the championship-winning University of Michigan football team, introduced Benjamin Watson and pumped the crowd up telling them this was football weather and a great day to march for the sanctity of human life.

Former NFL player Benjamin Watson reminded the crowd that Roe is done, but our culture doesn’t know how to care for life .

In this new era of the pro-life movement, Watson encouraged the crowd to do what the Bible tells us to do in the book of Micah: love justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before God.

He told the audience we must have uncommon courage to stand up to injustice. We must practice deep compassion to meet the needs of mothers with unplanned pregnancies. And we must remember that we cannot do this work without God.

Watson specifically challenged men to go home from the march and fight for their families. He challenged civic leaders to go back to their communities and pass pro-life laws. Watson encouraged pro-life organizations to go back to their work and know that they are not just saving one life but future generations. And finally, he challenged students to go back to their schools and be unashamed to stand for life.

The future of the pro-life movement is about empowering women to choose life.

“With Every Woman, For Every Child” is about helping pregnant mothers choose hope over fear, love over indifference and life over death for their babies and themselves.

This is what it looks like to be pro-life in a post-Roe world.

If you missed the rally livestream, you can watch the recording here.

Image Credit: Nicole Hunt