Pro-life activists brave cold to join March for Life
January 23, 2014: Tens of thousands of American pro-lifers joined in the March for
Life in Washington on Wednesday, undeterred by bitter cold temperatures and a snowstorm
earlier in the week that had complicated travel plans for many people hoping to participate
in the annual event.
Pope Francis sent a message of support to the marchers
on his Twitter account. “I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers,”
the Pope said. “May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.”
The
annual March for Life, held on January 22 to commemorate the anniversary of the Roe
v. Wade decision, had a new leader—Jeanne Monahan, who succeeded the late Nellie Gray
in 2012—and a new approach. The crowd on the Washington Mall was mostly composed of
young people, and the March made heavy use of social media to stir interest and organize
participants.
Always a heavily Catholic event, this year’s March for Life also
emphasized ties with other religious groups. Among the featured speakers at the rally
that preceded the walk to the Supreme Court building was Dr. James Dobson, the revered
Evangelical leader and founder of Focus on the Family.