The “March for Life” event on Friday, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, has attracted thousands of abortion opponents to Washington, D.C.
The leaders of the movement, which has been working towards overturning Roe v. Wade for decades, have been gathering support for state and federal legislation that would place further restrictions on abortion.
According to March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, the movement has a lot of work ahead:
“It’s a moment to stop and to reflect upon all that’s happened in the course of the last 50 years leading up to this year, but also to think about what are the next steps,” she said. “We have our work cut out for us.”
Mancini hopes to expand the march movement to all 50 states within the next 10 years, including states where the anti-abortion movement has recently suffered defeats such as Michigan.
Since the end of Roe on June 24, 2022, a total of 12 states have implemented total abortion bans with limited exceptions and in 2 additional states, abortion is not available, as reported by the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that conducts research and advocates for reproductive rights.
Roe v. Wade is the landmark ruling that recognized a woman’s right to an abortion until its overturning.
The March for Life organization plans to expand its initiative of organizing marches across different states, starting with the first official state March for Life in Virginia in 2019, aiming to hold 10 state marches in 2023, including Arizona, Virginia, California, and Connecticut.
The march will begin on the National Mall at noon and will feature speeches from prominent figures such as U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who won the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that led to the Supreme Court overturning Roe.
The march route will also be slightly different this year, passing in front of the Capitol instead of heading directly to the Supreme Court, as a nod to their victory in the court.
