March for Life Goes Forward in Post-Roe Era

The annual March for Life is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., in January, 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to legalize abortion in 1973. The march is especially significant after passage of the Dobbs decision.

March for Life President Jeanne Mancini explains that the fight to end abortion is not over. Despite the reversal of Roe v. Wade, several hundred thousand pre-born children are expected to die by way of abortion in 2023.

“Abortion is expected to take well over 700,000 lives nationwide in the coming year,” she said. “Even though the overturning of Roe v. Wade is an enormous victory for the pro-life movement, we have a duty to fearlessly continue marching because our work as the largest and longest-running human rights march nationwide is far from finished.”

Participants in the upcoming march face new challenges this year. After the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs case, pro-abortion activists carried out criminal attacks on pregnancy crisis centers across the country. Property was vandalized and destroyed. Pro-life activists have also been targeted in the wake of the decision. An 84-year-old woman was shot while petitioning against an abortion measure in Michigan last September. Mancini addressed the new threats in a Daily Signal report.

Mancini emphasized to The Daily Signal that the March for Life prioritizes the safety of “the hundreds of thousands of marchers” who have previously braved everything from fears following the 9/11 attacks to blizzards and other inclement winter weather as they cross the country each January.

Marking a major change to the events surrounding the March for Life, the 2023 Youth Rally and Mass for Life, hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington, has been cancelled. In response, the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus announced that they plan to host a new rally on the day of the march at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in the nation’s Capital. The event will include a Catholic Mass, speakers, and Eucharistic adoration.

One Sister Maris Stella sums up the significance of the upcoming march.

“In the wake of the recent Dobbs decision, we see a profound opportunity to build the culture of life in a new way,” the sister said. “We want to serve the Church in her most urgent need—that of the cause of human life, sharing the good news of God’s plan for life and love. So, let’s return to the heart of the matter. Let’s renew our commitment to love. Let’s be agents of healing in a broken world.”

Xavier Baez