World History Book: From Roe to now

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JENNY ROUGH, HOST: Today is Monday, January 26th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Jenny Rough.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Up next on The World and Everything in It: The World History Book–the March for Life’s past…and present.

Here is WORLD’s Lindsay Mast.

LINDSAY MAST: In late 1973, just months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade, a group of pro-life advocates gathered at the Washington, D.C. home of attorney Nellie Gray. The group included New Yorkers who had been fighting abortion legislation there…and who now wanted to take the cause to Congress.

NELLIE GRAY: Those same people who were seasoned pro-lifers said that America could not let January 22 go by without memorializing that infamous date in American history.

Audio from the Conservative Roundtable:

NELLIE GRAY: I was involved by sheer geography. I live in Washington and they wanted to meet in Washington. They met in my home on one evening and put together the very first March for Life.

Gray said some 20,000 people joined the first march. But the group soon realized Congress had other priorities, so they decided to march again the next year, and the next.

NELLIE GRAY: After we had the very first March, we saw that we were going to have to have more marches. And since I was the one in Washington they used my house, they used my phone, and that’s the way you become President of the March for Life.

The group has been marching ever since. Current President Jenny Bradley Lichter:

JENNY BRADLEY LICHTER: Throughout this year as we celebrate the founding of our beloved country…never forget that the United States of America was built on the foundation of the right to life. [Applause]

In 2022, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs case overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the issue of abortion back to the states. That’s meant many who come to the march now go home to new political battles in their state legislatures.

WORLD’s Washington Producer Harrison Watters was at this year’s March and spoke to dozens of participants.

KIEDROWSKI: What's your name? / My name is Isaac Kiedrowski.

JENNIFER CHRISTIAANSE: Jennifer Christiaanse.

BEN KEECH: Ben Keech.

GINA CLEMENT: Gina Clements.

PAUL BARRON: Paul Barron.

CLAIRE SEEVERS: My name is Claire Seevers, and I’m from Central North Carolina.

JOSUE SIERRA: My name is Josue Sierra, and I’m from Cecil County, Maryland.

WATTERS: Cool, where are y’all from?

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS: Michigan.

CARLA STRUCKHOFF: I’m from St. Louis, Missouri.

EMILY BROWN: I’m here with my college. We’re from Wisconsin.

SARAH FORD: And we’re from Kansas.

WATTERS: Why would you say you’re here?

RUBY STEDMAN: I’m here because life matters and we can’t just passively stand up. We have to show people that we stick to the guns and we do what we say we're gonna do.

ANGELICA BERENDSEN: I’m here because I believe in the right to life from conception until natural death.

ANNA TOOTOO: I’m here because I want my kids to experience, I want them to experience the March for Life, because it was a good experience for me, but I want them to see that there are other people that are like-minded.

MARIO JACOME: Well, I’m here because I’m marching for life. I think abortion is evil and we should really protect the lives of innocent babies.

WATTERS: And tell me what your sign says.

JENNA PIWOWARCZYK: Oh, my sign says “Your mom chose life.”

CHRISTOPHER PINO: It says, “Get married, have kids. You won't regret it.” I just think that's really powerful by Charlie Kirk.

VERA MILLER: It says, “If I am worth something later, I am worth something now.”

JESSICA CAMPOVERDE: My sign says “My clump of cells is 15 years old, and she's standing right next to me.”

JENNIFER CHRISTIAANSE: The back of my sign says, "No flex on Hyde." The president has recently said that the pro-life movement has to flex on the Hyde Amendment, and we are opposed to federal funds going to abortions, and we think that that's wrong.

J.D. VANCE: I know that there is still much road ahead to travel together. Take heart, take heart in how far we've come, but don't lose sight of why we march. And so long as you are out there marching for life, I hope you know that the Vice President of the United States will march with you. God bless you all and thanks for having me!

WATTERS: How many Marches for Life have you been to?

JESSICA CAMPOVERDE: This is my first one! I’m so excited! And I don’t care if we’re gonna have a snow storm!

PAUL BARRON: This is my first March for Life here in D.C.

LAUREN CLEMENT: This is my second.

ATTENDEE: Maybe ten? I've been coming almost every year since college, so. 

YVONNE HORNER: My family, starting with my parents back in the 70s, have been coming almost every year to the March for Life.

WATTERS: Who would you say you you’re marching for today?

MARIO JACOME: I’m marching for all those that didn’t get the chance to be born, and for all of those who are currently in the womb.

LAUREN CLEMENT: I’m here marching for anyone in my life that I could have met, but I had the opportunity taken away by unlawful killing.

WANDA WOLF: All those ladies who have aborted their babies, and now feel the conviction. I pray for them that they will have peace in their heart.

CALEB STEINDEL: So I would say I’m marching for family members, for my lost sibling.

LILY DOAN: I’m marching for Belle. Belle is a four year old who is at my church who her mom was considering an abortion, but thankfully, chose to keep and save her baby's life. Belle is a gorgeous four year old little girl.

WATTERS: What does it look like to be pro-life in your home state?

SIERRA: Yeah, Maryland is tough, you know, with Governor Moore, they’ve just expanded abortion on demand. 

CECILIA LEMANOWICZ: I would say it’s difficult because I'm from New Jersey, and we do have a pro-life movement there, but it’s very small.

STEINDEL: The Fight for Life has to happen in each state, and so that means in our state, in Pennsylvania, fighting for legislation on the ground that’s going to protect life.

MICHAEL KAUCHER: We have a fight in our legislature over life. You know, there’s a lot of push to advance abortion.

JESSIE DAGGETT: In the UK, there's a very strong contingent of like counter protesters, and it can become quite tense. Here, it’s very positive and a very loving environment. Everyone's here to celebrate life, and life is a gift.

PETE BLOCK: And I feel like more and more people are just coming to the realization that, you know, the truth, it’s not a clump of cells, it’s not just, you know, it’s, they’re babies.

KATHY BLOCK: We feel that there's people fighting for the babies now, like that are that are in the positions that can make a difference, make a huge difference. So it’s more of a joyous year, I think.

ADELAIDE HELWIG: I mean, it’s an exciting time. It's fun to be there. I think I’m discouraged just that there's not more political movement and, like, actual change. Like I think some of the changes have been very small when we're really fighting for equal rights for the unborn.

JENNA PIWOWARCZYK: Oftentimes, except for when Roe v Wade was overturned, a lot of times our side can kind of feel like we’re, you know, getting lost in the mud, getting lost in the news cycles. But obviously, we’re here. I’m here with my school, I’m here with a bunch of other people who believe in the pro-life cause. So it keeps me coming back keeps me feeling invigorated.

DEMONSTRATORS: Make abortion unthinkable! Make abortion unthinkable! Make abortion unthinkable! 

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