Thousands of anti-abortion advocates gathered Friday for the annual National March for Life, marking the first high-profile event for the empowered GOP and Trump administration.
Despite the frigid weather in the nation’s capital, energy was high among the crowd, with thousands having traveled from across the country.
People who attended the March for Life, held every year since 1974, ranged widely in age. Children and college students were in abundance, with one attendee remarking with surprise at the number of young people who showed up.
Tiffany Hayward of Pennsylvania told The Hill she came to “save the babies, save a life,” adding that she hoped the event would allow “for people to have their hearts and minds opened to [the] understanding of babies are important too. They should have a say.”
Many in the crowd, which gathered in front of a stage in the shadow of the Washington Monument, wore beanies to stay warm, using the hats to color code their groups by schools, regions or social organizations.
“I want to help further the movement towards life and love and both the mom and the baby,” said Katie Hilderman of Missouri, who was attending for the first time. “If we want America to continue, we have to keep having babies. We got to keep our babies.”
When asked if she hoped for any specific anti-abortion policies to be advanced, Hilderman said she wished for Planned Parenthood to be defunded as well as the proliferation of pregnancy resource centers.
While government reimbursements and grants do account for a major part of Planned Parenthood’s funding, federal dollars are prohibited from funding abortion services. Much of the funding comes from Medicaid reimbursements through state programs.
The March for Life on Friday bookended a week in which Republicans in Congress sought to once again advance a “born alive” bill that would require health care practitioners to provide care to infants born alive after attempted abortions, which they are already required to do. If a health care practitioner is reported to have not followed the law, they would face fines, jail time or both.
The House passed the bill for a third time, while the Senate failed to invoke cloture, leaving the legislation in limbo.
“In Congress just yesterday the House passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told the crowd. “It’s a matter of basic humanity to ensure that a child who survives an abortion attempt should be cared for as he or she is lying on the table gasping for breath. But I am so sad to tell you that only one House Democrat joined us in voting for that bill.”
Both President Trump and Vice President Vance spoke at the event. Trump addressed the crowd in a recorded video message, while Vance’s appearance marked his first public speech since assuming the office of the vice president.
Trump’s message drew ecstatic cheers. At the time of the march, Trump was visiting North Carolina. Vance’s appearance was a last-minute addition, announced the day before.
“In my second term, we will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump said. “We will protect the historic gains we have made and stopped the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion on demand up to the moment of birth and even after birth.”
On Thursday, Trump pardoned nearly two dozen anti-abortion activists who had been convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances.
Republican leaders including Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) and Rep. Chris Smith (N.J.) also spoke at the event.
Vance encouraged more births in the U.S., a goal he frequently touched on during the 2024 campaign.
“We failed a generation, not only by permitting a culture of abortion on demand, but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to live a happy and meaningful life,” Vance said.
“A culture of radical individualism took root, one where the responsibilities and joys of family life were seen as obstacles to overcome, not as personal fulfillment or personal blessings,” he added.
“Our society has failed to recognize the obligation that one generation has to another is a core part of living in a society to begin with. So let me say very simply, I want more babies in the United States of America.”
Neither Trump nor Vance on Friday spoke of any specific policies they plan to push forward to curb abortions or make it easier to become parents. Last year on the campaign trail, Trump touched on potentially having the government or insurers fund in vitro fertilization services, while Vance once suggested that childless adults pay a higher tax rate.
Almost immediately after Vance left the stage, the gathered crowd began to march down Constitution Avenue toward the Capitol.
