Annual March for Life Moves to Virtual Event

The annual March for Life event that takes place in January on the National Mall in Washington, DC, will occur virtually this year.

An announcement from the March for Life organization Friday cited the reasons for the change as “the protection of all those who participate in the annual March, as well as the many law enforcement personnel and others who work tirelessly each year to ensure a safe and peaceful event.”

Additionally, the March for Life noted, “We are in the midst of a pandemic, which may be peaking.”

“[I]n view of the heightened pressures that law enforcement officers and others are currently facing in and around the Capitol, this year’s March for Life will look different,” the statement read, and added:

The annual rally will take place virtually and we are asking all participants to stay home and to join the March virtually. We will invite a small group of pro-life leaders from across the country to march in Washington, DC this year. These leaders will represent pro-life Americans everywhere who, each in their own unique ways, work to make abortion unthinkable and build a culture where every human life is valued and protected.

Thousands of pro-life Americans and citizens of other nations travel to the U.S. capital each year to celebrate life at the rally and march, which are held on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the High Court created a right to abortion, though none ever existed in the Constitution.

The virtual March for Life will take place on Friday, January 29. Those who would like to participate can do so by responding on the site to watch it live.

In January, 2020, President Donald Trump became the first U.S. President to speak at the March for Life rally.

In advance of the event, Trump proclaimed January 22 – the Roe v. Wade anniversary – to be “National Sanctity of Human Life Day,” a day when the nation “proudly and strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death.”

The president said in his proclamation:

Every person — the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly — has inherent value. Although each journey is different, no life is without worth or is inconsequential; the rights of all people must be defended. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our Nation proudly and strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, noted Trump’s many pro-life accomplishments.

“From the appointment of pro-life judges and federal workers, to cutting taxpayer funding for abortions here and abroad, to calling for an end to late-term abortions,” she said, “President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering.”