BY JOE CHAMIER

This past Friday, massive crowds from all different walks of life gathered in Washington to protest abortion in the March for Life.  With a Republican in the White House and a Republican congress, conservative pro-lifers have been energized with a wave of optimism to end abortion.  

Vice President, Mike Pence, was the first VP to attend, and became the highest-ranking official to ever speak at the march.  A president still has yet to attend a March for Life, though Reagan and Bush both addressed it.  Pence spoke at the march, saying that “we will continue to win the hearts and minds of the rising generation if our hearts first break for young mothers and their unborn children.”  Pence also mentioned that President Trump’s Supreme court pick would  be dedicated to overturning the Roe v. Wade decision. Baltimore Ravens’ tight end, Benjamin Watson, also spoke at the march, as he is a well-known pro-life advocate.

The march was first organized in 1974, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, by Nellie Gray. Gray and other “pro-lifers” felt that the day should be spent reflecting on the innocent unborn lives that were taken as a result of the Supreme court decision.

The March for Life received noticeably less media attention than the Women’s March on Washington, which took place January 21.  The Women’s March consisted of men and women demanding universal health care, birth control, and the right to abortion.  According to the Media Research Center, the Women’s March received 129 times more media coverage than the March for Life.

While the March for Life was overshadowed by the fervor of the Women’s March, the March for Life featured more youth and more excitement in the crowd than previous years. According to the Washington Post, half of the marchers were under the age of 30.

Though Vice President Mike Pence excited crowds when he said that “life is winning,” “pro-lifers” await the day that they hear the sentence: “Life has won.”