For prominent pro-life organizations, recent setbacks at the ballot box have not shaken the movement's spirit for the future of creating a culture of protection for unborn children in the womb.
The March for Life, an organization and annual event that draws (at least) tens of thousands of people from across the country each January, has grown significantly in the 50 years since the first march in 1974. Did.
Activists held the rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which effectively legalized abortion in every state in the country. Since then, the march has always made Roe the primary destination for protests, but even a year and a half after the Supreme Court overturned Roe's precedent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, the energy surrounding the march still has not declined.
March for Life President Jeanne Mancini said in an interview on Fox News Digital, “March for Life was born right after Roe was overturned, and there was a lot of confusion about life and fetal choices.'' ” he said. “We believe these marches are necessary at this special time, and we believe that the pro-life grassroots movement needs to step up now and provide some direction. We think the marching program is very important.”
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March for Life sign in Washington, DC, January 2023. (Getty Images)
Over the past five years, March for Life has expanded to the state level, with annual rallies hosted by the national organization's state chapters held in cities across the country.
State-level expansion is occurring rapidly. In 2018, the first march was held at the Virginia March for Life. Marches will take place in eight states in 2023, and next year's March for Life will take place in 17 states, with Mancini planning to march in every state in the coalition over the next six years or so. ing.
In the wake of the June 2022 Dobbs decision, pro-life leaders and conservative politicians are redirecting their efforts to state-level political fights and focusing on creating a “culture of life.” Mancini said the goal of the March for Life is to create a world where “abortion is unthinkable.”
This initiative is as much about supporting women with unplanned pregnancies as it is about changing abortion laws.
“There's so much confusion about what it means to be a woman and, frankly, what it means to be pro-life. At the heart of pro-life is supporting women and supporting women. You want what's best for you,” Mancini said.
The political fight over abortion shows no signs of slowing down, and pro-life leaders are far from giving up on pushing for state and national pro-life legislation.
But the pro-life movement has suffered a series of setbacks in statewide voting efforts in the past two elections. Most recently, Ohio voted in November to enshrine the right to access abortion into its state constitution.
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, speaks at a rally ahead of the March for Life. On the landmark anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, tens of thousands of pro-life supporters rallied in Washington, D.C., calling for an end to legal abortion in the United States. (Photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket, Getty Images)
“We're learning a lot through our work on voting,” Mancini said. “As we move and change our culture, we will learn lessons along the way.”
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As many pro-life leaders have pointed out, Mancini pointed out that polls show most Americans are not completely in favor of unrestricted abortion.
“For at least 12 years, seven out of 10 Americans have limited abortion to at most the first three months of pregnancy, and that is not our national law,” Mancini said. “Some states have enacted pro-life laws before that moment, which is great, but our domestic laws are not in line with most countries in Europe.”
The theme of March for Life 2024 is “With Every Woman, For Every Child.” It aims to address this confusion and show that being pro-life doesn't just mean a political fight that ignores the challenges of unplanned pregnancy.
A woman holds a placard during the third annual Pennsylvania March for Life. The 2023 Pennsylvania March for Life drew thousands of people to the Pennsylvania State Capitol to voice their opposition to abortion. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Image/LightRocket, Getty Images)
“We see two patients facing unplanned pregnancies, and we want them both to make it to full growth.”
In early December, the Charlotte Rosier Institute released a report on the impact of the nearly 3,000 pro-life pregnancy centers across the country serving women.
of The report showed In 2022 alone, our network of primarily locally operated pregnancy centers will conduct nearly 800,000 new customer consultations, 700,000 pregnancy tests, 500,000 ultrasounds, and hundreds of thousands of sexually transmitted infections. It provided testing, parenting classes, and sexual risk avoidance education.
The pregnancy center also provided “post-abortion support” to 20,000 clients.
The centers also provided $358 million worth of material assistance to new mothers, including cribs, strollers, diapers, formula and car seats, according to the report.
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Mancini said there is a difference between advocacy for abortion access and the pro-life movement. Mancini said access to abortion tends to prey on women's insecurities, implying that women with unplanned pregnancies are incapable of bearing or raising children. Stated.
“The pro-life movement is the opposite,” Mancini said. “We want to encourage and support women and be there for them and empower them and say, 'You can do it, you have what it takes to do this. This is hard, but… It’s a beautiful thing, and we will do it.’” I’m here with you. ”
