March for Life

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JD Vance addresses March for Life: We need ‘a culture that celebrates life at all stages’

(CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY) — Vice President JD Vance on Friday addressed tens of thousands of people at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., speaking about his pro-life convictions as a Catholic father and promising that the newly minted Trump administration will continue to uphold pro-life policies.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a joyful crowd,” the newly sworn-in vice president said, looking out over the crowds huddled on the National Mall. Temperatures had climbed into the 30s by Friday in D.C. after dangerously cold temperatures earlier in the week moved Monday’s inauguration indoors.

Vance praised the marchers in attendance for their conviction that “every single child is a miracle and a gift from God” and discussed the obstacles many families and single parents face in being able to afford to have children and raise them in a stable environment.

He said his goal as a government official is to do what he can to create a society that is pro-family “in the fullest sense of that word possible,” adding that the true “benchmark of national success” ought to be how easy it is to raise a family.

“Let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America,” Vance said to loud cheers.

“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.”

Vance discussed the Trump administration’s proposal to increase the child tax credit and support for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act, which would require doctors to provide lifesaving health care to infants who are born after a failed abortion attempt.

The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill a day after Democrats blocked the bill from advancing in the Senate.

Vance also said pro-life protesters who have faced aggressive prosecution — specifically mentioning Catholic father Mark Houck, who was acquitted in 2023 — will not “ever have the government go after them ever again.”

Vance said becoming a father helped to solidify his convictions that “an unborn life is worthy of protection” and again encouraged the marchers to continue in their work.

“You remind us that the March for Life is not a single event that takes place on a frigid January day. The March for Life is the work of the pro-life movement every day from this point forward,” he said.

“Go forth not with frustration but with joy. We are joyful to march for life. We are joyful to know that that picture on an ultrasound, that is a picture of a baby with hopes and dreams and potential to come. It is a joy and blessing to fight for the unborn, to work for the unborn, and to march for life.”

Immediately before Vance’s speech, the crowd watched a brief prerecorded video message from President Donald Trump, who is currently in California surveying the damage from the recent wildfires. Trump addressed the March for Life in person in 2020 during his previous term as president.

Trump, who garnered criticism from some pro-lifers on the campaign trail by insisting that abortion policy should be left up to the states, promised in his video message to end the “weaponization” of law enforcement against pro-life Americans and highlighted his recent pardoning of 23 peaceful pro-life activists who had been convicted and imprisoned under the Biden administration.

He also called Roe v. Wade “unconstitutional” and said his administration will “protect the historic gains we have made and stop the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion on demand, up to the moment of birth and even after birth. Think of that, after birth. And some people want that, can you believe it?”

“In my second term, we will once again stand for families and for life,” Trump said, praising the marchers for their tenacity.

“Your mission is just very, very pure: to forge a society that welcomes and protects every child as a beautiful gift from the hand of our creator,” he said.

(Originally published by Catholic News Agency)

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2025 March for Life speakers include Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Chris Smith, Lila Rose

(CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY) — The March for Life Education and Defense Fund this week unveiled its speaker list for the 2025 March for Life on Friday, Jan. 24, with the lineup including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey, and Live Action President Lila Rose.

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund this week unveiled its speaker list for the 2025 March for Life on Friday, Jan. 24, with the lineup including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey, and Live Action President Lila Rose.

Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas, the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, will also speak at the event.

“We are overjoyed to welcome these inspiring pro-life leaders at this year’s 52nd March for Life,” Jeanne Mancini, the president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said in a Jan. 9 statement.

“For the past 52 years, the March for Life has powerfully witnessed to the tragedy of abortion while calling for stronger protections for women and the unborn,” Mancini said.

“This year’s speakers will address the 2025 theme — ‘Life: Why We March,’ which reminds us of the basic truth that every life has inherent human dignity from the start.”

The rally will begin at noon and the march at 1 p.m.

DeSantis, who is Catholic, signed legislation in April 2023 to prohibit abortion in Florida once the unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected, which occurs at about six weeks into pregnancy.

The state had a referendum in 2024 to establish a legal right to abortion in the state constitution. The measure failed to reach the 60% threshold needed to pass. DeSantis campaigned strongly against the proposal.

Smith, who is also Catholic, co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and has an A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America for votes in defense of the unborn.

Rose, another Catholic, founded the pro-life nonprofit Live Action in 2003 when she was 15 years old.

Other speakers include Bethany Hamilton, who is a professional surfer, mother, and pro-life advocate; Josiah Presley, an abortion survivor; and Dr. Catherine Wheeler, a former abortionist who is now a pro-life obstetrician.

Also speaking will be Beverly Jacobson, CEO of Mama Bear Care; the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; Jennie Bradley Lichter, president-elect of the March for Life; and Hannah Lape, a student and president for the Wheaton College Voice for Life.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the March for Life at this pivotal moment, and I couldn’t be more excited to share the stage this year with dedicated elected officials, pro-life leaders, and other great Americans who will share their testimonies about why they fight for Life,” Lichter said in a statement.

“There is nothing else like the March for Life, and this year’s lineup is a reminder of the enduring strength of our movement.”

The Christian rock band Unspoken will perform before the rally. Julie Stone, who owns Sopranojam Music Studio in Mountville, Pennsylvania, will perform the national anthem.

(Originally published by Catholic News Agency)

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The Reason We March: 52nd National March For Life Unveils New Theme

(THE DAILY WIRE) — We march, not for ourselves, but rather for the pregnant women across the country who are in need of love and support.

Many in our nation see the topic of life only as a cause that divides. Each year at the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., our humble voices and peaceful presence serve as a reminder of the beauty and dignity of every human life, and as an invitation to all Americans to recognize this truth and to serve the most vulnerable.

Now, more than ever, we must come together to witness to the inherent dignity of life.

In the two years since the Dobbs decision, the pro-life community has faced many challenges. We have battled relentless and radical pro-abortion proposals at both the state and federal level. Pro-abortion politicians have been using their power to discredit the life-saving work of pregnancy resource centers at a time when these charitable organizations have been suffering widespread threats, physical violence, and vandalism. Moreover, deadly misinformation campaigns surrounding state-level pro-life protections are scaring doctors and women away from addressing pregnancy-related medical emergencies even though none of these laws prohibit life-saving care.

Extreme abortion measures that would enshrine a dangerous “right to abortion” into several state constitutions will be on the ballot this November. In Massachusetts, Attorney General Andrea Campbell has initiated a national “working group” of state AGs to target the work of pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) and Governor Maura Healy launched a million-dollar taxpayer-funded smear campaign aimed at discrediting and destroying them.

Attacks like these harm vulnerable pregnant women who most need the resources and support that PRCs provide. The result is that PRCs are forced to divert attention and resources from serving women in need, toward defending themselves against political and physical attacks – all because they offer alternatives to abortion.

Pro-abortion misinformation campaigns promoting the Democrats’ vision of abortion without limits have tragically contributed to the preventable deaths of Georgia mothers Amber Thurman and Candi Miller. Pro-abortion activists, who for two years have been spreading the false narrative that state-level pro-life protections prevent doctors from treating mothers with serious pregnancy complications, are rightly described as “part of the problem.” Those who fearmonger about pro-life protections would serve women far better if they admitted that complications from the unsupervised provision of abortion drugs caused the complications leading to Amber’s and Candi’s heartbreaking and untimely deaths.

Some pro-life Americans may feel overwhelmed or discouraged by these and many other challenges we face right now as a community. But while the landscape in which we work towards making abortion unthinkable will always have its ups and downs, the value and inherent dignity of vulnerable women and children never changes. Likewise, our resolve to protect and provide for them must never waver.

That is why for the 52nd National March for Life we chose a theme that reminds pro-life Americans of our roots – the reasons why we march by the thousands each year in the freezing cold, snow, and rain. We hope that reflecting on this year’s theme: “Every

Life: Why We March” will be a source of the renewed energy and focus so needed for this moment.

We march, not for ourselves, but rather for the pregnant women across the country who are in need of love and support. We march for the innocent unborn children who deserve a chance to live, to have a future, if only they are given the chance. We march also for our neighbors, co-workers, and elected officials who do not yet see the truth: that all human life is intrinsically valuable and worthy of protection.

For the past 52 years and again this year, pro-life Americans will unite from across all generations and all walks of life, with unique backgrounds and stories, to be a peaceful presence and joyful witness to this truth – and to march in love and protection of every human life.

(Originally published in The Daily Wire)

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Outgoing March for Life leader reflects on a life of faith

(THE ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HERALD) — Jeanne Mancini went from being a self-described “policy person” to one of the most unlikely, influential and visible leaders of the pro-life movement after becoming president of the March for Life in 2012.

But the way Mancini sees it, what happened 23 years earlier was even more important. She was in her junior year at West Potomac High School and an active member of the youth group at Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria. When she signed up to attend a Youth Encounter retreat, she had no idea her life was about to change forever.

“Even though I had a very good formation growing up with my mom and dad, that retreat had a massive impact and changed the trajectory of my whole life,” she said. ”When I had that conversion experience it wasn’t so much related to pro-life issues, it was more of my heart opening and understanding how important a personal relationship with God was and how God loves me uniquely. It wasn’t just rote prayers and doing the right thing and being virtuous, but that he loves me and has a plan for me. It was very powerful.”

Two weeks after announcing her resignation as the leader of the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, Mancini reflected honestly on the soul-searching and at times, agonizing path that prepared her for the battles she would embrace during her 12-year presidency.

“After college I worked with children who had been victims of abuse or neglect and I really began to grapple more than I ever had before with the church’s teachings on life,” she said, “Thanks be to God I had good people around me, because even though I was philosophically grappling with some of those questions, I came out on the right side of this. My understanding was tested and I came out believing even more fully in the church’s teachings on the inherent dignity of the human person.”

She is still discerning her next role, but Mancini, who has a master’s degree in the theology of marriage and family from the John Paul II Institute in Washington, speaks with evangelistic fervor about why a hurting world needs what the Catholic Church teaches.

“Good theology, what the church really teaches, is healing,” she said. “The church is the expert on the human person. To understand healthy theological anthropology is what it means to live an ordered, happy and flourishing life.”

A true daughter of the diocese, Mancini’s path to prominence came as no surprise to her childhood friend Father Thomas P. Ferguson, pastor of Good Shepherd. “It has been a blessing for me to be able to call Jeanne a friend since the days when we were growing up together at Good Shepherd Parish,” said Father Ferguson. “Jeanne is a person of deep faith who has given me a great example of perseverance, charity and joy in promoting respect and love for the gift of life, especially the lives of the unborn.”

“I commend Jeannie Mancini for her creative, courageous, and faithful leadership at the March for Life Education and Defense Fund,” said Bishop Michael Burbidge. “Jeannie has transformed the March for Life by thoughtfully growing its annual Washington rally, expanding its reach to states and cities across our nation, and inspiring a new generation of pro-life advocates through peaceful and loving witness to the reality of the unborn child and the sacredness of all human life.”

Mancini’s conversation is filled with a joyful Catholic spirituality and optimism, despite significant setbacks and a relentless assault on life since the momentous Supreme Court decision that ended Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022.

“We’re living in this weird cultural reverberation of the overturning of Roe,” she said. “We see politicians distancing themselves from the issue and we’re not doing well, but that doesn’t mean it was a mistake to overturn Roe or that we’re on the wrong side of history. Mother Teresa would say that we are called to serve the poor, and the unborn are the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable. The other issues are important, but there is a preeminence to the protection of life.”

Mancini’s final March for Life as president will be Jan. 24, 2025, before Jennie Bradley Lichter assumes leadership Feb 1.

But Mancini will remain as a board member and chief encourager to the millions of pro-lifers who make the pilgrimage every year to stand for life. “My message is to come. We want to encourage people who are discouraged,” she said. “It’s hard to persevere when things look dark but that one little candle lit in a dark room has the power to make a difference. Whatever it is you’re called to do for the culture of life is absolutely making a difference. Sometimes things are darkest before the light comes. Persevere, persevere, persevere.”

(Originally published in The Arlington Catholic Herald)

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NRO: Despite the Republican Party, the March for Life Goes On

(NATIONAL REVIEW) — Moving forward with hope and joy and justice.

The human-rights issue of our lives is abortion. Clearly not everyone sees it that way. It’s buried in euphemisms about women’s health. But follow the science. An unborn child dies.

The March for Life happens every January, marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in all three trimesters. Abortion has become so much more hot-button and angering and confusing than ever. And despite the headlines, increasingly hidden. Chemical abortion eliminates human encounter, unless CVS counts.

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The March for Life just announced a new president. Jennie Bradley Lichter is a wife and mother of three. Her father is a leading intellectual in the pro-life movement, Gerry Bradley at Notre Dame, As deputy general counsel at the Catholic University of America, she spearheaded a program to help mothers on campus — staff and students. Yes, if you’re pregnant, but also long after. Diapers. Food. Parking spaces close to where you need to be. The pro-life movement is not about politics as much as it is about basic resources. Pregnancy-care centers have been demonized in the post-Dobbs era, but they help with clothes and housing and basic skills.

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While the March for Life is about ending abortion, period, they have state marches as well. Lichter says the importance, besides education, is “to show that pro-life Americans are still here, we are still motivated, we will never, ever tire of witnessing together to the beauty and dignity and utter preciousness of human life.”

Outgoing president Jeanne Mancini speaks with great love for the suffering. “We live in a culture with many women and men who have chosen abortion and carry those wounds. Any messaging needs to both speak truth about the inherent dignity of the human person, the destructive nature of abortion to both mom and baby, and be steeped in mercy and hope.”

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The March continues. For women and children and families. For humanity.
To read the full story click here.

(Originally published in National Review)