On Saturday, January 19, the forty-fifth annual March for Life took place on the streets of Washington D.C.
Since its founding in 1974, the March for Life has had one goal: to “end abortion by uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square.”
The march’s founder, Nellie Gray, assembled the activist group in response to the highly controversial Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade deemed the state’s right to determine whether or not a woman could have an abortion unconstitutional. Under this ruling, women now had legal access to receive abortions that were newly protected under federal law.
Gray, a converted Roman Catholic, organized the first public protest against Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1974 with passionate support from 20,000 like-minded Americans. The increasing support eventually led to a second demonstration a year later, now under the official name of “March for Life.”
Since its inaugural demonstration in 1974, the march has seen enthusiastic support from millions of Americans nationwide. Most notably, sitting and former U.S. presidents (such as Trump, Reagan, and W. Bush) have publicly shown their support of the function, some even personally attending the march.
This year’s March for Life featured renowned journalist and activist Ben Shapiro as its keynote speaker. While discussing his views with the crowd, Shapiro brought up the talking point of whether or not he would kill “baby Hitler.” Shapiro answered his question with a passionate “no,” further defending the notion that a fetal life should be taken under no circumstances.
Because of his remarks, Shapiro has lost three of his advertisers from his popular political commentary show, The Daily Wire. Shapiro’s comment also resulted in many pro-abortion groups and individuals to further protest the March for Life’s stance on reproductive rights.
