Pro-life advocates rallied by the tens of thousands in Washington for the 52nd National March For Life Jan. 24.
A colorful parade of marchers processed from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol, singing hymns, displaying signs and praying rosaries en masse to end abortion.
“The one thing that always strikes me is that there’s so much joy,” said diocesan seminarian Luke Helbling, who spoke to the Catholic Herald as he marched. “It’s a joy rooted in prayer and in a relationship with God, and that’s just so wholesome. It’s contagious joy.”
“We’re here in defense of all the unborn children who are killed every year,” said Eileen Peppiatt, who attends Chelsea Academy in Front Royal. “This is so amazing. All the energy and excitement everybody has to stand up for life.”
In the two years since the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, pro-life groups have notched victories in some states while in others, including Virginia, fought against a tidal wave of legislative actions that endanger the lives of unborn children.
“There’s a lot of misinformation about the pro-life movement and what is really happening to unborn children and that’s why it’s so important for us to educate them,” said Bailey Cannon, a student at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly. “My prayer is that one day all people will value life and protect it in all its stages.”
Marchers in Washington say they are not deterred in their resolve, and continue to see the benefit of witnessing to life in the nation’s capital even if many of the most consequential legislative debates have moved to the states.
“My generation is motivated to put an end to abortion and I think we will,” said Izzy Dumas, who came with a large group from St. Edith Stein School for Girls in Front Royal. “There’s hope. What can’t we do with all these people? This makes me really hopeful for the future.”
