March for Life

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EXCLUSIVE: JD Vance’s First Speech As Vice President To Be At National March for Life

(THE DAILY WIRE) — Vice President JD Vance will speak at the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, The Daily Wire can first report.

The event will mark Vance’s first public remarks since he was sworn in as Vice President of the United States. In 2019, Donald Trump became the first president to speak at the March for Life, several years before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Trump is scheduled to be in California visiting areas destroyed by the wildfires during the 2025 March for Life.

This year’s March for Life will take place on Friday, January 24, beginning by the Washington Monument. It comes two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, due in large part to Trump’s Supreme Court appointments.

News of Vance’s upcoming speech came shortly after the Daily Wire reported that Trump will pardon pro-life activists imprisoned by the Biden Justice Department in a matter of days. The plight of the imprisoned pro-lifers is an immediate priority to Trump’s team, and they will likely be pardoned within days, two sources with knowledge of the matter shared with The Daily Wire.

“We are thrilled that Vice President Vance has chosen the National March for Life for his first public appearance in his new role – a sign of his commitment to standing up for life,” Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life, and Jennie Bradley Lichter, President-Elect of March for Life, said in a statement. “President Trump governed as a pro-life president during his first term which resulted in a long list of accomplishments. We look forward to working with him and Vice President Vance as they dismantle the Biden Administration’s aggressive and unpopular abortion agenda and once again put wins on the board for vulnerable unborn children and their mothers.”

Besides Vance, speakers include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, surfer Bethany Hamilton, Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, pro-life activist Lila Rose, and more.

“When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation,” Trump said at the March for Life in 2019. “When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family.  When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul.  One life changes the world.  From my family — and I can tell you, I send love and I send great, great love.”

He continued: “And from the first day in office, I’ve taken a historic action to support America’s families and to protect the unborn. And during my first week in office, I reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, and we issued a landmark pro-life rule to govern the use of Title X taxpayer funding.  I notified Congress that I would veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policies or that encourages the destruction of human life. At the United Nations, I made clear that global bureaucrats have no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that protect innocent life.Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.”

Trump issued a sweeping executive order on Monday that granted full pardons for about 1,500 criminal defendants related to the January 6 Capitol Riot, making good on a campaign promises to free those targeted by the Biden administration. His actions prompted many in the pro-life community to hope that he would similarly pardon the pro-life activists targeted by the Biden Justice Department under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

(Originally published by The Daily Wire)

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‘I want more babies,’ JD Vance says at the March for Life

(USA TODAY) — Vice President JD Vance on Friday told anti-abortion activists at their annual March for Life rally in Washington that the country had failed its citizens.

“We failed a generation not only by permitting a culture of abortion on demand, but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to lead a happy and meaningful life,” he said.

He said a “culture of radical individualism” had led to people viewing the “responsibilities and joys” of raising a family as obstacles.

“Our society has failed to recognize the obligation that one generation has to another as a core part of living in a society,” he said. “So let me say very simply, I want more babies in the United States of America.”

Vance, a former senator from Ohio, has advocated boosting the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $5,000 per child to help with the cost of raising children.

Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have three young children: Ewan, 7, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel, who is 2 years old, according to People magazine. She went viral during the inauguration for sporting bandages on her fingers.

Vance sworn in earlier this week

JD Vance was sworn in Monday as the 50th vice president of the United States, the culmination of a rapid political rise that propelled him from modest Ohio roots to a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Vance, who lives in Cincinnati and grew up in Middletown, took the oath of office alongside President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by his wife, children and mother. Administering the oath was Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who counted second lady Usha Vance among his employees when he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Vance placed his hand on a Bible that belonged to his great-grandmother, which he got from his “Mamaw” when he left home for the Marines in 2003. He donned a navy blue Italian suit custom-made for the inauguration by his longtime tailor in suburban Cincinnati.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this possible,” Vance said during brief remarks at the Capitol after the swearing-in. “We love you. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we’re going to make America great again together for the next four years.”

Vance authored ‘Hillbilly Elegy’

After the inauguration, Trump credited Vance for being “upwardly mobile” and said the only person smarter than him is his wife, Usha.

“He took on some pretty mean people, and he handled it well,” Trump said.

Vance’s inauguration came just two years after he assumed the role of U.S. senator for Ohio. A once fierce Trump critic, the “Hillbilly Elegy” author walked back his past comments and made himself a key part of the president’s inner circle. As vice president, Vance is expected to champion Trump’s agenda and serve as an attack dog when needed.

(Originally published in USA Today)

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Thousands fill National Shrine for 2025 March for Life vigil: ‘We march as pilgrims’

(CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY) — More than 5,000 students, families, and other pro-life Catholics packed into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for a vigil service Thursday on the evening before the national March for Life.

Attendees filled the pews in the upper church, which is designed to hold about 3,500 people. They crammed into the various Marian shrines along both sides of the basilica to worship at the vigil Mass during the National Prayer Vigil for Life. Hundreds more flowed into the basilica’s crypt, which is similarly adorned with shrines to the Blessed Mother.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, was the primary celebrant and homilist for the Mass. Four cardinals and 21 bishops concelebrated the Mass with Naumann, and 50 deacons and 300 seminarians were also in attendance.

“When we march tomorrow, we march as pilgrims of hope,” Naumann said during the homily after the Gospel reading, which was part of the first chapter of the Gospel of John.

“With the love of God revealed and the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, how can we not have hope?” Naumann said.

The Gospel reading teaches us that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” which the archbishop related to the importance of defending the sanctity of unborn life, saying during his homily that Christ “humbled himself to be an embryo in Mary.”

Naumann said during the homily that “culture is more significant than politics” and urged people to be “witnesses to your peers” to help transform people’s hearts.

“To transform our culture, we must touch the hearts [with] efforts like Walking with Moms in Need, where we try to surround women in difficult pregnancies with a community of love and support,” the archbishop said.

Naumann added that Christ told his disciples that “if we’re going to follow him, we have to follow him all of the way to Calvary — that we have to be prepared to take up the cross.”

Speaking directly to the young people in attendance, the archbishop told them they have “a unique power to be that light” for others, telling them to “be as only young people can be like” and cited Blessed Carlo Acutis, who died at age 15 and will be canonized as the first millennial saint in April.

“My good young people here, you’re called to be witnesses to your peers, you’re called to help them to come to know what brought you here tonight,” Naumann said.

Naumann celebrated the Mass in place of Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, who could not attend because of a death in his family. Thomas is the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Naumann serves on the committee and is a former chairman.

The archbishop also read some of Thomas’ notes that he provided, which emphasized that “every human person, preborn and born,” is made in “the image and likeness of God.”

Matthew Montano, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, attended the vigil with fellow Catholic classmates. He told CNA he made arrangements to travel to the march at the last minute, adding: “It’s the grace of God that brought me here.”

Montano, who is attending the March for Life for the second time, said he hopes to help “bring to light the atrocities that are going on” by marching in defense of life, adding that the right to life is the “most important thing we have.”

Brenda Alcanta took five buses to get to Washington, D.C., from Wisconsin. She told CNA she was encouraged by a friend to attend her first March for Life this year and plans to attend every year going forward.

“So many people coming together for one cause … just makes you feel like you’re making a difference,” Alcanta said and emphasized the importance of the vigil to “pray for women who are considering abortion.”

Before the Mass, the congregants prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Following the Mass, clergy processed down the aisles of the upper church of the basilica with the Blessed Sacrament and held adoration. Congregants also prayed the luminous mysteries of the rosary during adoration.

(Originally published by Catholic News Agency)

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Vance tells March for Life it’s a ‘blessing to fight for the unborn’ during first week in office

(FOX NEWS) — Vice President JD Vance said Friday it is “a joy and a blessing to fight for the unborn” as he addressed pro-life activists at the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C.

“We march to live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle and a gift from God,” Vance told the crowd at the National Mall in his first public appearance since being sworn in as vice president earlier this week.

Vance praised the marchers who braved bitter cold temperatures to be there, noting that Monday’s inauguration had to be moved inside because of the weather.

“But you guys — and it’s bitter cold today — here you are outside in an especially frigid January, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a joyful crowd out here, particularly during this time of year,” he said. “The excitement, the passion, the unwavering conviction that every single person here on the National Mall clearly feels, it is deeply moving to me and means more to President Trump and I than I could possibly say.”

He added that it has been the “single greatest blessing” of his and wife Usha’s lives to watch their three young children “grow, learn and become who they are today.

“Every parent here knows that feeling, that awe of a newborn child. It is our responsibility to cherish and to protect it,” he added.

Vance also talked about bringing a focus on family back to the center of American life, saying the “benchmark of national success” is “whether people feel that they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country.”

The vice president vowed that the federal government will not “direct FBI raids” on homes of pro-lifers, mentioning Mark Houck, a pro-life activist whose home was raided.

Vance also said the era of putting pro-lifers in jail was over, mentioning President Trump’s decision to pardon multiple activists.

“I want more babies in the United States of America. 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,” Vance said.

However, he admitted young couples face challenges when having kids, and he called on the government to take action to make it “easier to raise a family.”

Prior to Vance’s speech, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told the crowd, “House and Senate Republicans are committed to protecting innocent life.”

“For two decades before I was elected to Congress, I served as a constitutional law attorney, and I litigated cases to defend our fundamental freedoms like religious liberty and the sanctity of human life. And now, in this role that I have as speaker of the House, I’m working to defend those freedoms in a different way,” Johnson said.

“And the good news is, there are many leaders here in Congress, just like the ones standing behind us here, who are committed to doing that same thing.

“This new White House has already shown its resolve,” Johnson added. “As one of his first official acts, President Trump just freed and pardoned nearly two dozen wrongfully imprisoned pro-life activists.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged attendees at the event to push their elected officials to “show courage in defense of the unborn.

“That’s what we need from the people that we elect to the office. The sanctity of life does not depend on poll results. It doesn’t depend on which way the wind is blowing,” DeSantis said.

“It’s an enduring truth, and it represents the foundation of our society, which in our original founding document, which we will celebrate next year, the Declaration of Independence, declared that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, beginning with the right to life itself.”

Also appearing at the event were senators John Thune of South Dakota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Katie Britt of Alabama, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota, Andy Harris of Maryland, Bob Latta of Ohio, John McGuire of Virginia, Bob Onder of Missouri, Chris Smith of New Jersey and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, all Republicans.

(Originally published by Fox News)