Hundreds of thousands take part in annual March for Life

(Vatican Radio) Hundreds of thousands of people are expected in Washington D.C. on Wednesday for the March for Life, the 40^th edition of one of the world’s largest pro-life demonstrations. Despite extreme cold, the March is expected to take place as scheduled, although weather conditions have led to some changes in the day’s events.

Pro-life activists were encouraged this year by Pope Francis who, in a special “tweet” published in English and Spanish, said “I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.”

The March for Life marks the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade that effectively legalised abortion throughout the country. Since that time, activists estimate more than 55 million babies have been legally killed in the United States.

Among the group’s taking part each year in the March for Life is Human Life International (HLI). Vatican Radio spoke with HLI’s Director of International Coordination, Joseph Meaney, about the pro-life movement in the United States. Although some of the movement’s goals, such as a complete overturning of Roe v. Wade, may seem a long way off, Meaney says he sees hopeful signs. “On the grass roots, I think the pro-life movement in the U.S. is, I think, very aggressively moving forward,” he said. One of the things that I find most interesting is the way that young people have been polling consistently more pro-life. . . and how the abortion industry itself has been suffering a lot in recent years.”

Meaney also spoke about the challenges facing the pro-life movement, pointing to the rhetoric of a so-called “war on women.” On the contrary, he said, “being pro-life means being pro-woman.”


Speaking on the eve of the March for Life, Meaney spoke about the importance of the event. “I think it’s important to emphasize the fact that this is such a wonderful, enormous March that doesn’t get enough attention. The fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people that have consistently come out – for more than forty years now! -- makes this the longest acting and most massive social human rights movement in U.S. history, and one that is going strong even though the media is not paying much attention to it.”

The March for Life is one of the largest events held in the nation’s capital, routinely drawing more several hundred thousand protestors from around the country. Despite its political and moral significance, however, the March is routinely downplayed by American media, which often underestimates the size of the crowds and focuses instead on much smaller pro-abortion counter-demonstrations.

Listen to the full interview of Joseph Meaney, Director of International Coordination for Human Life International with Ann Schneible: