March for Life

March for Life 2026: ‘Life Is a Gift’

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March for Life 2026: ‘Life Is a Gift’

(National Review) — The March for Life announced its theme for the January 23 demonstration: “Life Is a Gift.” Jennie Bradley Lichter, the new president of the March for Life, said in an announcement that this year’s theme “invites everyone . . . to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates the joy, beauty and goodness of life itself by recommitting ourselves: to each other, to every woman facing a pregnancy and to every child.”

“Life is a gift” has long been a salient message when fighting against abortion, but it is similarly relevant in other fertility-related discourse, specifically that about in vitro fertilization. Reproductive technologies treat children as products rather than gifts, and, accordingly, children are subjected to versions of quality control and performance reviews — not only with respect to health but also aesthetic traits such as eye and hair color. Parents with big enough bank accounts can essentially test and grade their embryos with respect to hereditary disorders and physical traits like height, then choose whichever children are supposedly worthy of implantation and thus a chance at birth. Moreover, products for purchase can become the topic of heated debates about ownership: In divorce cases in which a married couple has frozen embryos, the children are treated as property to be owned rather than as human beings with rights. 

Putting aside fertility and pregnancy, “life is a gift” seems to have great resonance this season as a series of devastating events in our country has revealed a thriving culture of death. We saw the assassination of the Unitedhealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024 because someone had a grievance with his line of work, and then we watched the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk onstage during a university appearance as he was responding to a question from the audience. Neither tragedy should have occurred, and each provided an opportunity for the divided nation to attempt catharsis by categorically condemning politically motivated violence, thereby restoring a bit of faith in the American project. But that didn’t happen, not really. Alleged assassin Luigi Mangione has become something of a heroic celebrity and accumulated more than $1 million in donations for legal support, while Kirk’s murder was widely celebrated in progressive forums such as Bluesky as a victory over “fascism.” These murders, along with the reactions to them, evoke a sense of despair, frustration, and fury that drains our confidence in ourselves and in our country. 

“Life is a gift” is a morally instructive theme when evaluating issues like abortion that treat a young child as a removable appendage, when navigating new technologies that devalue human life to a customizable commodity, and when pockets of the left rejoice in the brutal deaths of their perceived political enemies.

(Originally published by National Review)

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March for Life reveals 2026 theme in ‘critical moment’ for the pro-life cause

(OSV News) — The 2026 National March for Life theme is “Life is a Gift,” The March for Life Education and Defense Fund announced Sept. 30. 

Jennie Bradley Lichter, who became president of the March for Life earlier this year, noted the group chooses a theme each year for the annual pro-life march in Washington as “an opportunity to focus our attention on a key message or a timely element of the prolife mission.”

“We’re now at a critical moment in our country where the march for life and what we stand for is more important than ever,” Lichter told reporters at a launch event, adding, “This year, with this theme, we really want to speak to the heart.”

“It is really a moment for boldness,” she added.

In response to a question about whether they anticipate speakers from the White House or Congress, Lichter joked that “politicians never make commitments this far ahead of time.” But she said the event is “a go-to political stage,” citing a video message from President Donald Trump at the 2025 event and in-person remarks then from Vice President JD Vance, as well as messages from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Just knowing the baseline that all of these folks have been engaged in the past, we’re fully anticipating robust engagement this year, too,” she said.

Lichter also cited the recent murder of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, arguing its aftermath shows that “young people are looking for opportunities to come together, to hear the truth spoken boldly and persuasively, to recover the fundamental goodness of family life, and to help to hear people speak into that, to be affirmed in their desire for children as something that’s fundamentally good, and to hear people witnessing to what’s good and true and beautiful.”

“That’s my diagnosis of our moment,” she said. “The March for Life offers all of these.”

After his death, Kirk received praise from his allies in conservative politics for his willingness to debate and his advocacy for their cause. However, in discussions about his legacy, his critics also pointed to his controversial political rhetoric on subjects including race, persons experiencing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, and immigrants.

In response to a question about whether Kirk’s death, amid other recent instances of political violence — which also include assassination attempts against Trump, but also the murders of Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and the firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, which is being investigated as the attempted murder of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro — has changed the event’s security planning, Lichter emphasized the group is committed to working with law enforcement to ensure the security of speakers and attendees.

“Our baseline is security upon security upon security, to make the site secure,” Lichter stressed.

“We will be — as we’ve done with our state marches — taking a close look at our existing security plan and working really closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that every base is covered,” she said. “But we have every confidence in the world, and the folks that we work with in law enforcement, who know this event very well, they’re committed to it. They’ve worked with us for many years, and I think that will continue.”

Organizers of the March for Life describe it as the nation’s largest annual human rights demonstration.

The 53rd annual National March for Life is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. A pre-rally concert will feature the Christian band Sanctus Real, Lichter said, and the Friends of Club 21 Choir, which is comprised of individuals with Down syndrome, will lead the national anthem at the event.

Georgetown University Right to Life will carry the banner at the start of the March.

Lichter said the group is also launching a “Marchers’ Stories Project” where they will seek video submissions from participants to document the group’s history.

(Originally published by OSV News)

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The March for Life Unveils 2026 Theme, Energized by New Leadership, Renewed Momentum and a Movement United

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 1, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the March for Life unveiled the theme for the 2026 National March for Life: “Life Is a Gift” at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Under the leadership of new President Jennie Bradley Lichter, the March for Life is renewing its commitment to energizing and uniting the pro-life movement at a pivotal moment in history.

This year, the March seeks not only to gather tens of thousands on the National Mall, but to serve as a catalytic moment, rekindling hope, resolve and purpose across the broader pro-life community. For decades, the National March for Life has stood as the largest human rights demonstration in the world, and in 2026 it will continue to fulfill that role as the central rallying point for national and international organizations working to advance a culture of life.

Jennie Bradley Lichter, serving now as President of the March for Life, said, “‘Life Is a Gift’ invites everyone, through the irrepressible joy of the March for Life, to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates the joy, beauty and goodness of life itself by recommitting ourselves: to each other, to every woman facing a pregnancy and to every child. This is not a moment for passivity; it is time to renew, reinvigorate and march forward together.”

The 2026 National March for Life will take place on Friday, January 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The March for Life has announced that Grammy-nominated Christian band Sanctus Real will perform at a pre-rally concert. The National Anthem at the rally will be led by a chorus of young adults with Down Syndrome called the Friends of Club 21 Choir, based in Colorado Springs. The featured testimony speaker will be Ms Sarah Hurm, from Iowa, whose youngest child’s life was saved by abortion pill reversal. The banner leading the March will be carried by Georgetown University Right to Life.

For media credentials, travel information, and updates on the 2026 March for Life, members of the press can contact: Kate Connolly (kateconnolly@peschstrategy.com)

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 world’s largest annual human rights demonstration in Washington, DC every January.

 

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NEW JERSEY PRO-LIFERS RALLY TO PROTECT LIFE AT STATE HOUSE

Rally features Leading Pro-Life OB/GYN, the Bishop of Camden and other national and local advocates 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 25, 2025

Washington, D.C. – March for Life, in partnership with New Jersey Right to Life, will lead a rally and march for life in Trenton, NJ on September 25th. The march takes place in the shadow of New Jersey’s extreme abortion-until-birth policies.

“We are proud to join together with New Jersey Right to Life to stand against extreme abortion-until-birth policies,” said March for Life president Jennie Bradley Lichter. “Our goal is clear: protect babies, support women and ensure that the loving and compassionate voices of pro-life New Jerseyans are heard loud and clear at the State House and across the state.”   

 “We are excited to announce our second Annual NJ March for Life on Thursday, September 25th,” said Marie Tasy, executive director at New Jersey Right to Life. “We invite individuals of all ages to come together in our state capital to stand for the dignity of every human life. This peaceful, hope-filled march is a chance to advocate for the unborn and call for life-affirming changes in our laws. It’s time to let our voices be heard—because every life matters!”  

The New Jersey March for Life brings together a diverse group of pro-life New Jerseyans. Since the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, which restored the power to protect the unborn to the American people at both the state and federal level, March for Life has organized 30+ marches at state capitals in states across the country.  

 In New Jersey, there are 50+ life-affirming clinics, maternity homes, and pregnancy resource centers aiding women, children, and families, working to provide them with excellent healthcare and provide for their material needs at no cost. 

 

2025 New Jersey March for Life

What: The 2025 New Jersey March for Life

Location: In front of the New Jersey State House Annex (145 West State St., Trenton, NJ 08608)

When: Thursday, September 25, 2025

-10:00 a.m. Pre-Rally Concert

-11:00 a.m. Rally

-12:00 p.m. March

 

 Speakers at the rally include: 

–Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of AAPLOG – Keynote Speaker 

-Bishop Joseph Williams, Bishop of the Diocese of Camden

-Jennie Bradley Lichter, President of the March for Life

-Pastor Brennan Coughlin, pastor at Fellowship Crosspoint Church

-Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life

-Joan Fasanello, Director of Life Choices, Phillipsburg, NJ

-State Senator Doug Steinhardt, New Jersey,  District 23

-Terysa Kish, proud mother

 

CONTACT: Pesch Strategy I Kate Monaghan Connolly  

kateconnolly@peschstrategy.com  

 646-717-4999  

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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 world’s largest annual human rights demonstration in Washington, DC every January.

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Thousands gather outside PA capitol for March for Life

(ABC 27 WTHM) — The Pennsylvania State Capitol saw one of its biggest crowds of the year on Monday. Monday marks the fifth annual Pennsylvania March for Life. Organizers say it draws six or seven thousand people every year.

Now, the March for Life is holding state-based marches across the country and continues to work to shift the way the culture views the unborn.

People prayed this morning for the fallen York County officers who were killed in the line of duty last week and for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down while speaking at a university in Utah two weeks ago. Organizers say security was heightened for this year’s march.

“Charlie brought the message of being pro-life and having babies and getting married as a real positive to young people and you’re going to see at this march, hundreds and hundreds of young people that Charlie would be proud to see,” says President and CEO of the PA Family Institute, Michael Geer.

The event is advocating for SB 973 and HB 606 that would teach early human development in schools.

“I think there is a cultural shift right now among our young people who are really looking for meaning in life, a deeper meaning in life, and I think causes like this point them, direct them to the beauty of human life,” says York Catholic director of faculty and campus ministry Paul Miller.

The march opposes HB 26 that would repeal parts of the Abortion Control Act and replace it with new guidelines that treat abortion like healthcare.

“There are lawmakers who are doing other things to try to expand and create more abortions in our state and then there’s legislation to advance the cause of life, especially in coming to the support of women who are in a situation they don’t know what to do to get the kind of support they need to bring that baby into the world,” Geer says.

Rep. Kinkead (D) Allegheny County says the event marchers for birth more so than life.

“I think that the March for Life being here on the day that we move gun safety legislation is tragically ironic because none of those people came inside to support any gun safety measures,” Kinkead says. “I would love for all of those people to come and address gun violence and support things that actually help to save lives. We have growing food insecurity. We have people dying of preventable diseases.”

It took more than 75 buses to bring the marchers from across Pennsylvania to the State Capitol.

The National Right to Life estimates there have been more than 65 million abortions in the U.S. since 1973.

(Originally published by ABC 27 WTHM)