John Jefferson
The 52nd March for Life in Washington, D.C. had a simple message: Donald Trump is back, and so are babies.
Vice President J.D. Vance made his first public appearance since his January 20 inauguration, addressing the crowds Friday at the annual anti-abortion demonstration. The president also addressed the marchers in a pre-recorded video message.
“With the inauguration on Monday, our country faces the return of the most pro-family, pro-life president of our lifetimes,” Vance told the marchers.
Trump, in his video, stated his continued pro-life efforts in his second term, including the Department of Justice’s investigation into the persecution of churches and crisis pregnancy centers and his release of 23 pro-life protestors prosecuted by the Biden administration. On the day of the march, the president also signed an executive order to cut off federal funding for elective abortions, and his DOJ issued an order limiting the FACE Act and protecting protestors outside abortion clinics.
The vice president reaffirmed his and the president’s commitment to the pro-life cause, saying it is the government’s task to “make it easier” for young parents to support families, find jobs, and build homes.
“We need a culture that celebrates life at all stages, one that recognizes and truly believes that the benchmark of national success is not our GDP number or our stock market, but whether people feel that they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country,” the vice president said.
This year’s march was a celebration of the recent inauguration as well as a demonstration for the cause of life. Bright red MAGA hats dotted the usual crowds of church and student groups. Attendees chanted “USA! USA! USA!” when Vance took and left the stage. There was no question of the crowds’ support for the new administration.
Vance told the crowds “I know all of you helped” to make possible the inauguration of Trump as the 47th president of the United States. Enthusiastic cheers followed.
The first week of Trump’s administration has brought many victories for the unborn and those defending the unborn. Nevertheless, some pro-lifers still remember their disappointment when Trump softened his stance on abortion only a few months prior. During his campaign, Trump promised universal IVF treatments and said he would not enforce the Comstock Act to ban the mailing of abortion pills.
“I think [the president is] forgetting about all the babies that were conceived and are being frozen currently, those babies’ lives matter too,” said Sarah Goodman, a marcher holding a sign that read “IVF is Massacre.” “I would hope he would realize the dignity of every human being, and reverse that policy and take it off this platform.”
Yet optimism was the mood of the day. Isaiah Barella, a student at Liberty University, said he is more hopeful about the future of the pro-life cause with the current administration.
“I know President Trump isn’t as pro-life as some people would like him to be, but I’m really praying that J.D. Vance can bring his pro-life values in and can sway President Trump to be more pro-life,” Barella said. “I think it’s awesome to have a young conservative pro-life vice president who cares and is out here talking to this crowd, showing that he really does value what we have to say out here today.”
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