Anti-abortion activists attend first March for Life ‘with fresh resolve’ post-Roe, Anti-Abortion Activists
Thousands of anti-abortion activists convened in Washington for the March for Life, the annual rally held to protest Roe v. Wade. This year, for the first time, they were there to celebrate its demise.
Anti-Abortion Activists Gather for March for Life
Tap the link in our bio to read more about the annual gathering, which is the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion.
Anti-abortion advocates from across the country gathered in Washington, DC, on Friday for the annual March for Life the first since the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ended the federal constitutional right to an abortion.
This year’s march marks a turn in the fight against abortion rights, with opponents’ primary goal of overturning Roe v. Wade met and half of all states having banned or restricted access to abortion in most cases. But anti-abortion advocates contend that their work isn’t finished as they aim to advance legislation that restricts abortion at the state and federal levels, including setting a minimum federal standard on the procedure.
“The pro-life movement has just experienced a major victory in the fall of Roe v. Wade, but our work to build a culture of life is far from complete,” Jeanne Mancini, the head of March for Life’s Education and Defense Fund, told news publisher via email before the march, the theme of which was “Next Steps: Marching Forward into a Post-Roe America.”
Attendees at Friday’s rally who spoke with news publisher expressed excitement but noted that more work needed to be done to stop abortions, help mothers and change the culture around the issue.
“What we’re here to do is say, ‘We’re not done. We have more progress that needs to be made on this issue,” said William Herb, 24, a Catholic school teacher from New York.
“That’s still a fight that we need to continue with, that’s something that we still need to persuade large portions of America that that’s not something that’s acceptable. This isn’t something that’s OK,” he said.
Justin Rino and Hallie Gift, 18-year-olds who were among the students from Liberty University leading off the march, told CNN that it was “necessary” as Christians to make their voices heard.
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“There are still states that legalize abortion. This is only the first part. Overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t the last victory,” Rino said. “So, yes, we can celebrate that Roe v. Wade was overturned, but there’s still a lot more work that needs to be done before we can celebrate.”
Attendees traveled from all over the US for the march, like Julz Savard, a first-time rallygoer from California who was representing the Colorado- based organization Save the Storks, which partners with pregnancy centers.
“I’m so elated. I’m on the edge of tears because, you know, sometimes you feel like you’re fighting this fight alone,” Savard said.
Friday’s rally began at noon and featured speakers including Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, former NFL coach Tony Dungy and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who won the case that resulted in the overturning of Roe.