A diverse group of speakers including activists, politicians, and individuals sharing personal stories fired up the crowd on the rally stage ahead of the 52nd annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C., on January 24.
The theme of this year’s demonstration, “Life: Why We March,” was highlighted as speakers, many of whom are Catholics, explained the reasons for their pro-life convictions.
Outgoing March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, who has led the organization since 2012, introduced the new March for Life president, Jennie Bradley Lichter. Lichter — a Catholic mother of three, a lawyer, and a longtime advocate for the sanctity of life — has been active in the pro-life movement since her childhood.
“You know that the wantedness of a human being doesn’t determine our value. You know that it is right and good to stand up for people who are too small to defend themselves … but lately many of the loudest voices have been shouting the lie that women need access to abortion,” Lichter said.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, led the crowds in prayer, praying that the pro-lifers in attendance go out in strength to build the culture of life and asking the Lord to bless them with “the fire of your Holy Spirit” so that they “never tire of the crusade for life whose origin is in you.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged all present to “show courage in defense of the unborn” and recounted how his state defeated a pro-abortion ballot measure in November despite misleading information from the opposition and an estimated $120 million spent by the pro-abortion side.
“The sanctity of life does not depend on poll results, it doesn’t depend on which way the wind is blowing, it’s an enduring truth and it represents the foundation of our society,” Gov. DeSantis said.
Dr. Catherine Wheeler, a former abortionist who is now a pro-life obstetrician, spoke about how her own unplanned pregnancy in medical school helped her to slowly understand how, in performing abortions, she was “intentionally [disregarding]” one of her patients, namely the unborn child. Dr. Wheeler said she has come to know Jesus’ love and now advocates for the pro-life cause after previously performing abortions.
“Life is an incredible, beautiful miracle, and God’s grace is available for each and every one of us,” she said.
Josiah Presley, an adoptee who survived a failed abortion, emphasized that every human life is valuable because it is created in God’s image. Presley, who was born in South Korea, was adopted by a family in Oklahoma after he survived the abortion attempt and now serves as a student minister at North Pointe Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma.
“Today I march because when I was unseen and devalued, God had a different plan,” said Presley, who was born with a deformed arm as a result of the attempted abortion.
“And today we march to declare what our creator has already declared, that all human life is valuable because it’s created in the image of God.”
Keynote speaker Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer from Hawaii whose life story was immortalized in the film “Soul Surfer,” is a Christian mother and a dedicated pro-life advocate. She spoke about how she struggled feeling like she couldn’t become a mom, admitting that no one, even people with deep pro-life convictions, is “above” the struggle that comes when the difficult choice to choose life presents itself.
At the same time, she said, many women are being fed “lies” that they can’t or shouldn’t keep their babies. She emphasized the need for hope and support for women facing unplanned pregnancies and called for men to support women and help combat the lies being told about the value of life.
“Children are true wealth, and they are truly the greatest blessing God has to offer us,” Hamilton said.
Following those speeches, President Donald Trump delivered a prerecorded video message to the March for Life, where he promised to end the “weaponization” of law enforcement against pro-life Americans, highlighting his recent pardoning of 23 pro-life activists who had been imprisoned under the Biden administration and adding that under his leadership a reformed Department of Justice would investigate attacks on churches and crisis pregnancy centers.
Rounding out the keynote speeches was Vice President JD Vance, who, appearing in person, emphasized his pro-life convictions as a Catholic father and stated that the Trump administration would continue to uphold pro-life policies.
He expressed his desire for a society that is pro-family, stating that the true measure of national success is how easy it is to raise a family. To that end, Vice President Vance discussed the Trump administration’s proposal to increase the child tax credit and support for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act.
“I want more happy children in our country. And I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them. And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world, and to welcome them as the blessings that we know they are here at the March for Life,” he said.
Diocesan Participants Explain Why They March
Focusing on the theme of “Life: Why We March,” several participants from the Diocese of Harrisburg spoke with Marianne Weltmer, Diocesan Director for Life and Dignity, and shared their reasons for being at this year’s march.
“It’s so important to be here and speak up for the defense of life. Our faith teaches us to protect life from the moment of conception until natural death, and we need to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. This is where we need to be today,” said Maureen Evich, whose husband, Jeff, is in the Diocese’s Permanent Diaconate Formation Program.
Nathan Perry and his fiancée Maya Fornaro felt called to stand as a witness for their generation
“As Nathan and I are younger, I think it’s important to be here and show our generation that we do care about women and their babies,” said Fornaro, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Hanover. “The pro-abortion movement is always saying that abortion is a woman’s right and that it’s for women’s health care, but they don’t know the fact that abortion hurts women. There is a chance they’ll become infertile down the line; the abortion pill is horrible for women in general. My fight is for the babies, but also for women themselves.”
“It’s our due diligence to make sure that life is protected at all costs, especially the innocent. We’re happy to be here in support of that,” said Nathan.
First-time marchers Carter Smith and Jonathan Steck turned to Scripture and Church teaching as they reflected on the day.
“We’ve heard a lot of Scripture in the different speeches at the rally. You’ll hear Scripture, godliness, the arguments for life,” said Smith. Those in favor of abortion and who think it’s the answer “are under the deception of Satan,” he said.
“If you look at what the Church has taught about the sanctity of life for its entire history, it talks about the sanctity of life even then, especially in the Didache,” said Steck, from St. Patrick Parish in York. “The early Church speaks about how we should and should not be treating God’s children. Even the speakers here are stressing how we all have human dignity, and we can’t just throw that away for whatever reason people can come up with.”
A group of Catholic campus ministry students from Gettysburg College attended the March for Life; the prayerful and exuberant event “demonstrates that the witness to the faith in the wider world is so important today,” said Father Michael Pray, their campus minister and the parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Gettysburg.
“Gettysburg College has a great campus ministry with many students, and we’re all witnesses to the glory of our Lord and having Him be an important place in our lives,” Father Pray said. “I’m here with some wonderful students from the Newman Association to show our support and be truly patriotic and demonstrate in a peaceful way to stand up for life.”
Gettysburg College student Natalie Vancura said “It’s wonderful and overwhelming in an amazing way to see all the young people here and wanting to support this cause. My faith is something that is very important to me, and I think that life should be protected from the beginning to the end.”
Father Kevin Key has been attending the March for Life since he was in middle school, and each year brings a new reason attend, he said.
“It’s always to pray for life and for the unborn, but also for personal reasons. It’s become almost a habit of prayer: How do I pray for the unborn? How do I represent their needs? How do I live a pro-life life? This is my expression. Every year, the March for Life is a priority for me,” said Father Key, parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey and chaplain at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg.
“Now that I’m a priest, I know people and I know to expect to see people at the march,” he said, adding that it “makes the American Catholic Church feel very close.”
“I love seeing the religious Sisters in their habits, the kids in their school gear. It’s their honest desire to represent something they believe in and their desire to pray and march for the unborn,” Father Key said. “It’s such a unique experience to be part of something that is so big. I’ll keep marching as long as everyone else shows up.”
(Photos by Marianne Weltmer. Crowd photo marching toward the Capitol by Jeffrey Bruno, CNA.)
By Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency
