March for Life: Younger, More Non-Catholic, and More Passionate

Defying snow and almost sub-zero temperatures in Washington DC on Friday, the 51st annual March for Life attracted thousands to Washington DC.

Apparent from the second such March since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade (which had legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 and sparked the Marches for Life) was that marchers are increasingly younger than in much earlier pilgrimages to the nation’s capital. Moreover, what was initially considered a primarily Roman Catholic event is now attracting more non-Catholics who agree abortion should be illegal.

Perhaps the most intriguing information Newsmax gathered from talking to Marchers was that the younger in their ranks generally favor a national ban on abortion — a sharp contrast to most pro-life politicians, who tend to say the issue should be decided by individual states.

“I’m fine with a national ban [on abortion].” Emily Giaconini of Falls Church Virginia, told us, “It’s the easiest way to resolve the issue.”

Giaconini, a member of the Anglican Church who was making her 5th March for Life added that with the Supreme Court’s decision in ’22, “we made progress, but there is more to be done.”

Sohar Smith, who worships at the Assembly of God Church in Manassas, Virginia, said “I would do all we can to pass a national ban on abortion. A ban on abortion 15 weeks before birth [supported by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and fellow Republicans in the Virginia legislature] will only deal with a small portion of abortions.”

A group of students from Concordia University (just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin), all of whom were Protestants making their first-ever March for Life, made it clear to us they supported a national ban on abortion.

“[The overturning of Roe] is a really great opportunity for the pro-life movement,” said Maggie Obersat, a junior at Concordia who said she “opposes abortion in all circumstances, including [to save] the life of the mother.”

Fellow Concordia student Julia Schulteis, who described herself as Christian, said she supports a national ban because it “encompasses every state.”

There were some Marchers who were reluctant to embrace a national ban on abortion.

Sean Hogan, a Catholic and sophomore at Fox Valley Tech in Wisconsin, told us that while he “personally feels abortion should be banned nationally,” he admitted there might be a problem with enactment of such a ban because “it might cause riots.”

Mike Marino, a member of the Catholic organization Order of Malta from Monmouth New Jersey, said “my heart says we should have a national ban” but that this is nonetheless “a difficult question” for most Americans.