March for Life

Trump to address March for Life via video, Vance in person

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Trump to address March for Life via video, Vance in person

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) — President Donald Trump is slated to make a video appearance at the 52nd annual anti-abortion March for Life demonstration on Friday in Washington, while Vice President JD Vance will appear in person.

Trump’s plan to address the marchers via video is a departure from the precedent he set by making an in-person appearance at the march in 2020 and reflects the distance that he put between himself and the anti-abortion movement in the past election cycle.

“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 and Jennie Bradley Lichter, the march’s outgoing president and president-elect, respectively, said in a statement. “Trump governed as a pro-life president during his first term which resulted in a long list of accomplishments.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told reporters Thursday that the president will address the demonstrators via video.

Trump was the first president to attend a March for Life event, leading some in the anti-abortion movement to declare him the most pro-life president in history.

But during the 2024 presidential campaign, the first presidential election since the overturning of the 1972 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that found a constitutional right to abortion, Trump backed away from anti-abortion rhetoric. He even took a strong hand in excising anti-abortion language and policy proposals from the national Republican Party platform.

Mancini told the Washington Examiner in an interview prior to the announcement of Trump’s video address that she “certainly was not happy with some of the comments made on the campaign trail” but that the first Trump administration increased the reach of the March for Life and anti-abortion movement writ large.

“President Trump was the first president in American history to come to the March for Life, the first president to ever send a standing vice president to the March for Life,” Mancini said. “We weren’t on the world stage to the same extent until Trump and Vice President Pence made March for Life a matter of importance.”

This year, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are among the other notable speakers who will attend the event in person.

The march will take place Friday afternoon on the National Mall.

(Originally published by Washington Examiner)

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VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE TO SPEAK AT THE 52ND ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE

WASHINGTON D.C. – The March for Life Education and Defense Fund is honored to announce that Vice President JD Vance will make his first public appearance after the inauguration festivities to speak at the March for Life rally on January 24th 2025.

In 2024, President Donald J. Trump asked JD Vance to serve as the Vice-Presidential Nominee for the Republican Party and this week he was officially sworn in as Vice President of the United States for President Trump’s second term in office.

As United States Senator for the great state of Ohio, Vance spoke at the state Ohio March for Life in 2023. We are excited to welcome him to the National March for Life in his new role as he once again stands up for the vulnerable unborn, women, and families across the country.

“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. 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.” – Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life and Jennie Bradley Lichter, President Elect of March for Life

Other speakers include:  

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ)

Bethany Hamilton, professional surfer, mother, and pro-life advocate

Dr. Catherine Wheeler, Obstetrician

Josiah Presley, Abortion Survivor

Lila Rose, President of Live Action

Beverly Jacobson, CEO of Mama Bear Care

Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life

Jennie Bradley Lichter, President-Elect of the March for Life

The Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas

Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod

Hannah Lape, student and President for the Wheaton College Voice for Life

The March for Life Rally will be held on Friday Jan. 24th and will begin at Noon Eastern on the Washington Monument grounds in Washington, DC.

The 52nd annual March for Life, the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, will be held on January 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.

To learn more about the 2025 National March for Life, please visit  https://marchforlife.org/national-march-for-life/ 

March for Life is a non-sectarian organization that promotes the beauty and dignity of every human life by working to end abortion – uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square. It hosts the largest annual human rights demonstration in Washington, DC every January.

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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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MARCH FOR LIFE ANNOUNCES SPEAKERS FOR 52ND ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE

“Life: Why We March which reminds us of the basic truth that every life has inherent human dignity from the start.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the March for Life Education and Defense Fund announced the speakers for the 52nd annual March for Life, taking place on January 24, 2025. Speakers include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ); Bethany Hamilton, professional surfer, mother, and pro-life advocate; Dr. Catherine Wheeler, Obstetrician; Josiah Presley, Abortion Survivor; Lila Rose, President of Live Action; Beverly Jacobson, CEO of Mama Bear Care; and Jennie Bradley Lichter, President-Elect of the March for Life.

This year’s theme, ‘Life: Why we March’ focuses on returning to our roots to acknowledge the humanity of each person, while also highlighting the need to protect and support both mother and child through the thousands of resources available to them. Our goal this year is to remind and reignite everyone — politicians, legislators, families, and women – in the truth that every life, unborn and born, has inherent dignity, meaning, and value, and as such is always worth fighting for. Our speakers will serve as witnesses to emphasizes the joy and beauty of life, and the dedication of the pro-life movement.

“We are overjoyed to welcome these inspiring pro-life leaders at this year’s 52nd March for Life.  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. 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.” Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

“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.  There is nothing else like the March for Life, and this year’s lineup is a reminder of the enduring strength of our movement.” Jennie Bradley Lichter, President-Elect of March for Life Education and Defense Fund

The March for Life Rally will be held on Friday Jan. 24th and will begin at Noon Eastern on the Washington Monument grounds in Washington, DC.

Speakers include:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ)

Bethany Hamilton, professional surfer, mother, and pro-life advocate

Dr. Catherine Wheeler, Obstetrician

Josiah Presley, Abortion Survivor

Lila Rose, President of Live Action

Beverly Jacobson, CEO of Mama Bear Care

Jennie Bradley Lichter, President-Elect of the March for Life

The Most Reverend Daniel E. Thomas, Chair, Committee on Pro-Life Activities, USCCB

Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod

Hannah Lape, student and President for the Wheaton College Voice for Life

The band ‘Unspoken’ will perform leading up to the Noon rally and Julie Stone, Sopranojam Music Studio will perform the National Anthem.

The 52nd annual March for Life, the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, will be held on January 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. The March for Life will share additional updates as we draw closer to the day of the March.

To learn more about the 2025 National March for Life, please visit https://marchforlife.org/national-march-for-life/

March for Life is a non-sectarian organization that promotes the beauty and dignity of every human life by working to end abortion – uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square. It hosts the largest annual human rights demonstration in Washington, DC every January.

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