WASHINGTON — Despite bitterly cold temperatures, organizers of the March for Life estimate that 150,000 anti-abortion activists will be in Washington, D.C. for the annual demonstration.
They are trying to add to their victories over the past few years starting with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Associated Press reported that the anti-abortion movement is now focusing on overturning abortion rights at the state level.
“There’s no silver bullet to ending abortion, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told the AP, explaining that there are still challenges. “The March now ends on the backside of the U.S. Capitol to remind our representatives that abortion is not only a state issue, but also a local issue and also a federal issue.”
She told the AP that she would like to see the current administration defund Planned Parenthood and make sure that women who have an unplanned pregnancy can have access to help to have the child such as paid family leave and more child care tax credits.
President Donald Trump on the campaign trail did not support a federal abortion ban and opposed some state-level bans. He does take credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade since he nominated three of the nine Supreme Court Justices who made the decision.
Trump is expected to address the crowd via video while Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak in person. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. John Thune, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Bethany Hamilton are also scheduled to speak, Fox News reported.
Hawkins told The Washington Post “It is especially important now with this new incoming presidential administration to remind them that the pro-life movement is staying engaged. We demand, we require them to act.”
Despite the numbers of anti-abortion activists taking part in the march on Friday, the Post said that a majority of people want abortion available.
An Edison Research poll conducted for the 2024 election found that 65% of those asked said abortion should be legal in most cases while 31% said it should be mostly or always illegal.
“Polling has suggested they’re not winning the battle for hearts and minds anymore,” Mary Ziegler a historian of the abortion movement told the Post, describing the anti-abortion side. “In that sense, the movement finds itself at a crossroads.”
The March for Life was first held in 1973 to protest the Roe v. Wade ruling that had made abortion legal.
As part of the 2025 march, there will be a pre-rally concert featuring Unspoken, followed by a rally at noon near the Washington Monument then the march begins at 1 p.m. ET from the monument, along Constitution Avenue, eventually ending east of the Capitol and the Supreme Court building.
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