WASHINGTON (RNS)—Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall on Jan. 21 for the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally that took on a cautiously triumphant tone as attendees looked forward to a pending Supreme Court ruling.
Court watchers say Dobbs v. Jackson has the potential to strike down Roe v. Wade and return control over abortion legislation to the states.
The speaker lineup for this year’s event, which was themed “Equality begins in the womb,” included an unusually robust array of elected officials, primarily Republicans.
High-ranking officials such as former President Donald Trump have addressed the rally in the past, but this year organizers opted for a large slate of legislators.
One of the first presentations at the rally was a video featuring more than a dozen senators expressing opposition to abortion, including Mitt Romney, Mitch McConnell, Shelley Capito, Mike Lee, Marsha Blackburn, Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.
“We believe everyone is equally loved by God, and should be equally protected,” Sen. James Lankford said during the video. “That’s why we don’t give up. That’s why we march for life.”
The Oklahoma senator—a Southern Baptist minister—was also one of around 20 lawmakers who appeared onstage at the event, standing alongside Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Andy Harris and Mike Kelly, among others.
Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana, who worships at a congregation affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, addressed the crowd directly in a speech. When pregnant with her first child, she said, she used to pray by reciting Jeremiah 1:5—“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.”
“I believe that the Lord makes that promise for every one of our lives, and every soul is precious in his sight,” she said.
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Optimistic about pending decision
Letlow expressed optimism for the upcoming ruling from the Supreme Court on Dobbs v. Jackson, an abortion case that could overturn or gut Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
She expected a “monumental decision” from the justices this summer, she said, and thanked the crowd for their “faith and perseverance” in advocating against abortion.
Enthusiasm for the pending Supreme Court decision was a running theme among attendees. Gabriel Clyde, who traveled to Washington from New Bethlehem, Penn., with a group affiliated with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, said he has attended the march for years because of his faith.
But 2022, he said, felt different.
“This is an exciting year,” he said. “This case in the summer is huge. We’ve spent a lot of time praying about it and trusting that things are going to change.”
While politics always is a common theme at the March for Life gathering, this year attracted some extreme varieties. Members of Patriot Front marched near the rally, handing out fliers to March for Life participants as police escorted them. The white nationalist group has attended anti-abortion protests in the past, although their arrival has frustrated organizers.
Asked about the presence of hate groups, representatives for the March for Life passed along a statement from Jeanne Mancini, the group’s president.
“March for Life promotes the beauty, dignity, and worth of every human life by working to end the violence of abortion,” the statement read. “We condemn any organization that seeks to exclude a person or group of people based on the color of their skin or any other characteristic. Such exclusion runs counter to our mission which recognizes that all human lives are equal from the moment of conception: equality begins in the womb.”
Footage posted to social media showcased pushback from at least some March for Life attendees. In one clip, a person can be heard yelling, “You ruined our march!” as Patriot Front members marched near the rally, surrounded by police.
Prominent presence of religious leaders
Other aspects of the event were more typical of past years, such as the presence of religious leaders and activists, especially Catholics.
Sister Veronica Marie, of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, said she and her Catholic group had traveled from Ann Arbor, Mich., to express their belief that “life is beautiful and it’s a gift from God.” She also said her prayer life in recent weeks has “increased,” explaining that the upcoming Supreme Court case gave her a specific cause to pray for.
Brother Patrick Joseph of Massachusetts similarly was hopeful about the upcoming ruling but said it wouldn’t impact his work to oppose abortion.
“To put it in sports perspective: I think you’ve got to work through the fourth quarter. If this is the fourth quarter, and we’re at the two-minute warning on this one, we’ve got to try our hardest to make sure it comes out successful,” he said.
The Catholic Church long has opposed abortion, but U.S. Catholics remain split on the issue. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of Catholics (55 percent) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Similarly, a 2019 Pew poll found a solid majority of Catholics (68 percent) do not want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The views of such Catholics were made visible when the group Catholics for Choice staged a protest outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The group used a projector to illuminate messages in support of abortion rights onto the side of the Basilica while anti-abortion activists conducted a vigil inside.
A majority of Black Protestants (64 percent) and non-evangelical white Protestants (63 percent) also say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew.
However, there was one outlier among major faith groups in Pew surveys: white evangelical Protestants, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of whom believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases as of 2021.
That includes actor and conservative activist Kirk Cameron, who promoted his upcoming adoption-themed film Lifemark at the March for Life this year while speaking out against abortion.
“Why are we here: The Bible, the book that built America, says that those who hate God love death,” he said. “But we’re the family of faith. We love God, therefore we love life. And our hope is not in the White House, it’s not in Congress. … our hope is in the power of God working in the hearts of his people.”
As for the pending Supreme Court ruling, some attendees on the National Mall were careful to temper their enthusiasm. Asked about the prospect of Roe v. Wade being struck down, Joseph struck a cautious tone.
“We hope this is the last one,” he said, referring to the March for Life. “But if it’s not, we’ll be back next year.”
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