A new enthusiasm for saving lives filled the March for Life on Friday in Washington, D.C. where a huge crowd gathered to celebrate the end of Roe v. Wade.
This January marked the 50th year since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe and forced states to legalize the killing of unborn babies in abortions. In June, however, the high court reversed its infamous decision and began allowing states to protect unborn babies’ lives again.
Reflecting on this year’s historic march, Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said the pro-life movement has huge new opportunities to protect innocent human lives through education and legislation.
“As tens of thousands march today to remember Roe and the loss of life since 1973, we praise the work of pro-life people who give of their time, energy and finances to help women facing an unexpected pregnancy. Those efforts have saved millions of lives and, post-Dobbs, will save millions more,” Tobias said.
Research by her organization puts the number of unborn babies lost to abortion under Roe at 64.4 million.
As happens every year, people from all across the country traveled to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life, including Mike Miller, of Boston. He told the Associated Press that he has been to at least 15 pro-life marches.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Miller said. “This is only one step and in the next step, education becomes the biggest thing.”
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The AP and others noticed the enthusiasm in the crowd, which included many high school and college students and families with young children. A number of politicians attended, too, including Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, whose office led the Dobbs v. Jackson case that overturned Roe.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who survived being shot several years ago by a radical leftist, celebrated with the crowd, noting how his home state of Louisiana and many others are now protecting unborn babies from abortion.
“Boy, did we get a huge victory just a few months ago when Roe was overturned, but as you all know, that’s only the end of the first phase of this battle,” Scalise said, promising to fight for life in U.S. Congress, too, according to NPR.
Because the abortion issue is in the hands of voters again, the March for Life changed its route this year. Previously, attendees marched to the U.S. Supreme Court building; but this year, they ended at the U.S. Capitol, sending the message that federal leaders should restore protections to babies in the womb now that they have the power to do so.
“The March for Life will continue to march until the human rights of abortion is no more,” said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life.
“We know that in every abortion, one life is taken and at least one life is wounded,” she added, according to Yahoo News. “And so we will continue to march, we will continue to march until the human rights abuse of abortion is a thing of the past. We will march until abortion is unthinkable.”
Other speakers included former NFL coach Tony Dungy and “The Chosen” actor Jonathan Roumie.
Currently, 14 states protect unborn babies by limiting or banning abortions, and more are expected to do so this year. Pro-life leaders estimate these laws already have saved tens of thousands of unborn babies’ lives.