The 50th Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. has been underway since Wednesday, with the full march and rally happening Friday on the Mall.
But this year there is a difference, in passion and in focus. This is the first year that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion nationwide is no longer a focal point. Thanks to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Roe is no longer the law of the land. The Dobbs decision sent the abortion question back to the states, and many states responded, some embracing Life fully and removing abortion from their boundaries, others strengthened the abortion rights that were already freely accessible.
Even with the wonderful blessing of Roe v. Wade being overturned, which allows more freedom at the state level to enact pro-life laws, the necessary work to build a culture of life in the United States of America is not finished. Rather, it is focused differently. Sadly, the number of abortions annually is still well over 900,000 each year, and that number is expected to decrease only by roughly 200,000 each year in a post-Roe America.
Many national legislative battles loom, including even keeping longstanding Hyde protections, which limit government funding for abortion on annual appropriation bills. The Hyde Amendment has saved over 2 million lives and is arguably the most impactful pro-life policy in our nation’s history, but now cannot be taken for granted.
The Pro-Life members of the 118th Congress are keeping the debate alive nationally, and pushing back against Biden’s anti-Life agenda, with the passage of two bills to support babies born alive after an abortion attempt, and one condemning the violence against pro-life centers, organizations, and churches, and advocating law enforcement authorities do more to punish the lawless acts while protecting the organizations and faith centers that stand for Life.
The pro-life Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives started the year out by sending a clear message on the issue with the passage of two key pieces of legislation. The first was the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would require that medical care be provided to an infant born alive after a failed abortion. That measure passed with a vote of 220 to 210 with one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, crossing the aisle to support it.
The second message was a resolution expressing the sense of Congress condemning the wave of violence against pregnancy centers and churches in the wake of Roe being overturned. The resolution calls on the Biden administration to “use all appropriate law enforcement authorities to uphold public safety and to protect the rights of pro-life facilities, groups, and churches.” It passed with a vote of 222 to 209, with the support of just three Democrats.
Today is the 50th annual March for Life
Just last week, the @HouseGOP voted to save infants born-alive during abortion procedures & to condemn nationwide attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, & churches
I will ALWAYS stand firmly as an advocate for pro-life policy in Congress pic.twitter.com/rdX3xpBwpP
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) January 20, 2023
But ultimately, laws and restrictions can only go so far. Until we re-establish a Culture of Life in our cities, towns, states, and nation, where killing an unborn child is no longer a consideration or an option, then marching for Life will continue.
Last, our most important work is changing hearts and minds. The goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable.
We will March for Life until the day that abortion is UNTHINKABLE! pic.twitter.com/nCZ1CezJex
— March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 14, 2023
That’s a tall order. Here in my state of California people voted YES by 73 percent for Proposition 1, which codified abortion even after the moment of birth as a constitutional right. The culture of death is real, and people holding their supposed “rights” above Life speaks volumes about the state of the American heart and mind.
With the role of the states being more important, we are also growing a strong state march for life initiative quickly, however, we will continue to march every January at the national level until a culture of life is restored in the United States of America.
In a surprise announcement, NFL Coach Tony Dungy will be one of the headline speakers for the event. This will be Dungy’s first time attending the March for Life, even though his own life is a reflection of the pro-life community’s heart and goals. Dungy and his wife have been pro-life advocates for years, and have personally adopted eight children.
Tomorrow Lauren and I will be in Washington DC attending the 2023 March For Life. It will be my first time at the March and I’m looking forward to joining my friend @BenjaminSWatson and thousands of others who will be there to support those unborn babies who don’t have a voice. pic.twitter.com/4rOBEbdsgP
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) January 19, 2023
But the March was started by everyday Americans, and it is everyday Americans that make the trek every year and represent Life in their states, their hometowns, and their high school and college campuses. Young Millennials and Generation Z are out in full force this year, just as they have been in years past. They are the ones who carry the torch of pro-life advocacy for the next generation, and they are the ones to watch.
So proud of @LibertyU students Over 500 students and 11 buses rolling out this morning at 5am to @March_for_Life in Washington, DC. #marchforlife2023 pic.twitter.com/zLsCu2q6lN
— Ryan Helfenbein (@RHelfenbein) January 20, 2023
A recent Students For Life poll reflects that once Gen Z understood the truth about what was allowed under the Roe decision, their hearts and minds were changed in support of the unborn. Education is key in not only confronting the lies about abortion, but deepening the focus on Life.
Millennials and members of Generation Z opposed abortion restrictions more strongly after learning what the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade permitted, according to a poll released by and Students For Life (SFL) Thursday.
The poll, conducted by SFL, a leading pro-life organization that works primarily with students in high school and in college, and YouGov-Vinea found that, initially, 52% of Gen Z and Millennials supported codifying abortion restrictions allowed under Roe. However, after being informed of the restrictions permitted by Roe, the number of those supporting codifying it dropped down to 37%, and those in opposition to codifying Roe increased by 25 points from 22% to 47%.
So the fight is far from over, and the March for Life this year will be a reflection of this. While there is much rejoicing that the federal codification for killing the unborn has been eliminated, there needs to be even more motivation to educate about Life, oppose the abortion lobby that continues to peddle death and destruction for women and children, and to work to cleanse a national psyche that believes that murder of innocents is acceptable.
We must continue to uphold and fight for the cause of Life.
As we enter this new post-Roe era, we know our mission is far from finished. Now is the time to reflect with gratitude upon all we’ve accomplished these past 50 years, but it is also the time to press on towards the battles that lie ahead.https://t.co/odBSVLLHhW
— March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 20, 2023
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