March for Life

March for Life Announces 2020 Virginia March for Life

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March for Life Announces 2020 Virginia March for Life

March for Life, Partnered with the Family Foundation, the Virginia Society for Human Life, and the Virginia Catholic Conference, Announce 2020 Virginia March for Life.

RICHMOND, VA. – March for Life is excited to partner with the Family Foundation, the Virginia Society for Human Life, and the Virginia Catholic Conference to organize the official Virginia March for Life on February 13th, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Marchers will rally at the state capitol to call for an end to pro-abortion extremism in the state.

The Virginia March for Life will start with a rally at the State Capitol at 11:45 am ET, followed by a march at 12:45 pm ET. More details, including a list of speakers, to be announced soon.

Learn more at MarchForLife.org/virginia-march-for-life/

Or visit our Facebook event.

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Pro-Life Legacy Award: Dr. William Hogan

The Legacy of Dr. William Hogan

“If we ignore this question of “What is man?”, we can find easy solutions by suppressing part of the problem. We can suppress the question of whether the infant within the womb is a member of our humanity.” – William Hogan, M.D. (June 1970)

 

On the anniversary of Nellie Gray’s passing, March for Life employees Katrina Gallic and Ann Clare Levy had the opportunity to sit down with her friend, and one of the original allies of March for Life, Dr. William (Bill) Hogan. That afternoon we discussed the pivotal events in the history of the March for Life’s founding and the impact Bill has had on the pro-life movement over the past six decades.

From the earliest moments of his medical career as an OBGYN in the 1960s, Dr. Hogan placed the loving care for expectant mothers and babies at the heart of everything he did.

As his reputation as a caring physician grew, he often received as patients mothers in vulnerable situations. Recalling a story from his practice, Dr. Hogan spoke of a young woman who came to his office covered in the muck that only comes from years on the streets. She had been homeless for some time and was now pregnant due to rape. After several doctors strongly recommended she have an abortion, she came to Dr. Hogan, hardly speaking but adamant that she give birth to her child. Over the next months, Dr. Hogan cared for this woman and her child, treating them with dignity the other doctors did not. She went through a normal pregnancy and delivered her child without difficulty. Because of the challenges of her situation, she decided that the best thing for her son was to place him with a loving family through adoption. As was the case with many of Dr. Hogan’s patients, she was unable to pay for her care. But come Christmas, the woman returned to Dr. Hogan’s clinic with a gift, a shoebox of broken cookies in crumpled old wrapping paper. Dr. Hogan nearly choked on his first bite of the cookies, but the thoughtfulness of his patient who had practically nothing, yet still gave what little she could, brought him to tears. In telling the story, he states, “I was well paid for my care of that young woman.”

On another occasion, a woman came to him by mistake thinking he was an abortionist. He gently tried to dissuade her from her decision to abort by describing the development of the little baby growing within her.  The woman angrily stood to leave, but Dr. Hogan pleaded gently, “I know you’re under a lot of stress, but will you please come back tomorrow?” To Dr. Hogan’s surprise and joy, the woman returned. She remained as a patient until she gave birth months later, after which she made the courageous decision to place her child in a loving home through adoption. Years later, Dr. Hogan received a call from the woman, announcing she was now married and just found out that she was expecting, telling him, “I wanted you to be the first to know!”

Dr. Hogan’s medical career was filled with moments like these, as he brought to light the humanity of pre-born children by showing dignity and compassion to their mothers in need.

By 1968, the abortion issue was reaching its boiling point in America. Seeing the shifting culture in his medical field, Dr. Hogan knew he had to do more to give a voice to his pre-born patients. In response to this need, he along with other pro-life doctors, formed the American College of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, after over 40 years they are still an instrumental organization in the pro-life movement. Working together with fellow pathologists and obstetricians throughout Washington, D.C., Dr. Hogan was one of the first to collect a portfolio of photos depicting the development of life in the womb and photos of pre-born babies killed by abortion. In the years to come, Dr. Hogan would present these photos at countless medical conventions, legal hearings, and congressional meetings, imploring our nation to see the humanity of the unborn.

In those days, sonograms were rare and few ever saw the hidden life of pre-born babies. For many viewing these photos of abortion victims was the first time they ever saw an image of the unborn. Dr. Hogan’s own brother, Congressman Lawrence Hogan Sr., was not convinced of the importance of fighting against abortion until Bill showed him these photos of abortion victims. Moved by the horrific truth he saw in those photos, Congressman Hogan Sr. became ardently pro-life. He went on to write and introduce the Human Life Amendment which definitively states that the right to life extends to our first moment of existence in the womb, and defend it alongside his brother, Dr. Bill Hogan, in the halls of Congress. Dr. Hogan recalls that his brother Congressman Hogan Sr. gave one of the first speeches at the first March for Life in 1974. Until he passed, Congressman Hogan Sr. credited his brother Bill’s witness to inspiring his courageous advocacy for the unborn.

The Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973, virtually allowing abortion throughout pregnancy. Seven days later Larry Hogan Sr., a congressman from Maryland, condemned the decision. He then introduced The Human Life Amendment in the House of Representatives. In April 1973, Larry (right) and his brother William J. Hogan M.D. (left) defended the Amendment before the Senate Judiciary Committee with Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana presiding over. (from the notes of Dr. Bill Hogan)

Around the same time in the 1970s, Dr. Hogan was met to another vibrant voice in the growing pro-life movement, Nellie Gray. The pair, along with other pro-life activists, testified on behalf of the unborn at state and federal legislatures. This group of early pro-life leaders, including Anne and George Higgins, met on a monthly basis in a community center basement to form an action plan for their grassroots movement to combat legalized abortion. Dr. Hogan brought his medical expertise to the service of these pro-life advocates, helping them combat the lies of pro-abortion lobbyists. In those meetings, the idea for a national march was sparked, a march for life were voices from every corner of the United States could come together in defense of the unborn and the right to life. After the tragic Roe v. Wade decision, Nellie brought the idea to life, beginning the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the anniversary of Roe v Wade on January 22nd, 1974.

Forty-eight years later, the March for Life is proud to continue the legacy of these early pro-life heroes that dedicated their lives to defending the lives of others. Like Dr. Hogan, the pro-life movement continues to show compassion to women in need, speak the truth in a world that so often rejects it, and march to defend the defenseless.

“The Right to Life movement is one of the most important movements in human history by virtue of its defense of defenseless human life.” – William Hogan, M.D.

 

March for Life is honored to bestow the “Pro-life Legacy Award” to this year’s Rose Dinner guest of honor, William Hogan M.D., in recognition of his life-long commitment to providing affirming medical care for women, and upholding the profound dignity of the unborn child.

For more information about the Rose Dinner, go to marchforlife.org/annual-rose-dinner/

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Announcing the 2020 Rose Dinner Speaker and Guest of Honor

 

March for Life is excited to announce Sister Bethany Madonna as our 2020 Rose Dinner Keynote speaker

Sister Bethany Madonna entered the Sisters of Life in 2007. While attending the University of Central Florida, she had a profound encounter with the Lord, which drew her heart toward the vulnerable unborn and their mothers. After her graduation in 2006, she worked for the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Orlando before joining her religious community. She made her final vows in 2015 and currently lives at the community’s Motherhouse, serving as the Vocation Director. She loves sharing the message of life and love.

March for Life is honored to announce Dr. William Hogan as our Guest of Honor and the recipient of the inaugural Pro-Life Legacy Award

Dr. Bill Hogan began his medical career as an OBGYN in the 1960s, placing the loving care for expectant mothers and babies at the heart of everything he did, both inside and out of his practice. From serving women with crisis pregnancies in his medical practice to defending the Human Life Amendment before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dr. Hogan has fully exemplified the spirit of the pro-life movement. For this reason, the March for Life is honored to present Dr. William Hogan with the inaugural Pro-Life Legacy Award.

We invite you to read more about the life and legacy of Dr. Bill Hogan.

 

We are delighted to have Sister Bethany Madonna and Dr. Bill Hogan at the 38th Annual Rose Dinner, and we hope that you will join us for this inspirational evening after the March for Life.

Click HERE to purchase tickets to the Rose Dinner.

 

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3 Months Until the 2020 March for Life!

Today marks only three months until the 2020 March for Life!

We need every pro-life American to join us at the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration to be a witness to the beauty of life.

Will you join us on Friday, January 24, 2020 in Washington, D.C. to be a voice for life?

Here are three things you can do to prepare:

  1. Text MARCH to 73075 to get updates about the March for Life.
  2. RSVP on Facebook and spread the word with friends and family.
  3. Download the Trip Planner to begin planning your trip.

For more information about the 2020 March for Life, check out our 2020 March for Life page and be sure to follow us on social media!

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Jeanne Mancini & Brandi Swindell Op-ed on 2020 March for Life theme

Carrying on the suffragists’ pro-life message, 100 years later

(Originally published in the Washington Examiner)

The coming election year marks the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. It was a long-fought battle led by courageous women who saw an injustice and fought to correct it in spite of public opinion.

In addition to issues affecting women, many of these early suffragists first became advocates for the abolition of slavery and were ahead of their time condemning the violence of abortion and infanticide.

The heroic example of these women has inspired the March for Life to choose the theme “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman” for the 47th annual March for Life. Throughout the year, the March for Life will highlight the pro-life views of the suffragists and the way in which the pro-life movement is the true heir of these earliest feminists. Just as the suffragists peacefully advocated for women’s equality — and made great progress — pro-life advocates peacefully advocate for equality for the unborn.

One of the most remarkable suffragists is Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Born in 1815, Stanton was one of the founders of the U.S. suffragist movement and faced immense obstacles in her struggle for equal rights. During her lifetime, the United States condoned slavery and didn’t allow half of its population to vote just because of their sex. Meanwhile, Stanton was juggling the raising of her seven children with her advocacy work, which would one day change the course of history.

Stanton, spurred on by the United Kingdom’s suffrage movement, joined with other American activists and gathered a group of like-minded women in July of 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention. Over 300 people attended and Mrs. Stanton was a star of the convention, presenting her Declaration of Sentiments, which mirrored the Declaration of Independence. Her declaration asserted what we take for granted today: that men and women are created equal. It was there she proposed the then-controversial resolution demanding voting rights for women.

The Seneca Falls Declaration passed. Stanton was subsequently asked to speak at numerous other women’s conventions, cementing her role alongside Susan B. Anthony as a leader of the American women’s suffrage movement.

The fight for women’s right to vote wasn’t the only cause Anthony and Stanton shared. Both denounced in their writings the horrors of infanticide. In the 1868 weekly suffragist periodical Revolution, Stanton makes clear she viewed abortion as infanticide. She said that abortion contributed to the oppression of women as second-class citizens — calling it “inconceivable” as well as a “crying evil.”

It is the legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton that has led to the creation of Idaho-based Stanton Healthcare, the purpose of which is to offer life-affirming solutions and resources to abortion-vulnerable women; to provide hope to those struggling with the pain of past abortion; and to share the message of sexual integrity in a confidential and professional environment that promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Like the early suffragists, the founders of Stanton Healthcare believe that all life is created with intrinsic value and are motivated to uphold the dignity of women and the lives of their children.

Together, those that make up the pro-life movement strive to complete the work of the suffragists by laboring to ensure every human life is treated with dignity and, as Stanton writes, endeavoring to “end this wholesale suffering and murder of helpless children.”

Thanks to the early feminist suffragists we have put the time when women were denied the right to vote behind us. One day, we hope to put behind us this time where the most innocent and vulnerable are denied the right to live. It is time to expose abortion as a grave injustice that marginalizes and devalues women, and that steals the lives of their children.