Vice President JD Vance speaks at the annual March for Life rally on the National Mall, January 24 in Washington, D.C. Getty Images / Photo by Kent Nishimura
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MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, January 28th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.
NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. This year’s March for Life in the nation’s capital was a little different from years past. Here’s WORLD opinions contributor Hunter Baker.
HUNTER BAKER: At the 2025 March for Life, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told the assembled crowd that he was the result of an unplanned teenage pregnancy. He expressed his eternal gratitude that his parents didn’t heed the advice of those who encouraged them to “just take care of that problem.” Johnson’s personal testimony fit well with comments the new vice president J.D. Vance would deliver several minutes later regarding courage in the face of life’s challenges. Johnson’s teen parents were brave and ended up raising a national leader.
Vance spoke live after President Trump appeared electronically. Trump’s message was straightforward and relatively brief compared to many of his appearances where he freestyles at length. He took credit for returning the abortion issue to the states. In addition, he endorsed the work of pregnancy care centers, expressed support for adoption and foster care, and promised an end to the weaponization of law against pro-life protesters.
Trump appeared to leave the heavy lifting to Vice President Vance, who hit some of the same points but ventured to set forth a more expansive vision of pro-life advocacy and policy.
SOUND: [JD VANCE WELCOMED TO THE STAGE]
Marchers gave him a huge reception as he took the stage—perhaps realizing that Vance represents the likely future of pro-life advocacy in the executive branch.
Vance talked about how often he’d heard friends in his youth express concerns about the challenges of raising children. They worried about cost and the impact being a parent would have on their lives. The young vice president argued that our country has failed young people by fostering a culture of abortion on demand and promoting radical individualism. During the past few years, we have all seen abortion go from being something that was typically viewed with regret into an occasion for celebration in some circles…characterized as an engine of empowerment. Vance said that instead of giving the young the courage to become parents and helping them see the beauty of raising children, we have gone along with those who treat family life as an obstacle.
JD VANCE: I want more babies in the United States of America. I want beautiful men and women eager to bring them into the world and to raise them.
Vance’s direct statements represent a Christian view of life and family. The points he made went beyond an analysis of the American psyche and spirit to indicate a direction in public policy. He said he wants to make it easier for young people to afford to bring kids into the world. He wants to see strollers, cribs, and a celebration of life. For Vance, human flourishing is better measured by whether people feel they can raise families in our country than by the gross domestic product or the stock market. One can’t help but notice this less financialized vision of happiness is one often promoted by the left. Vance’s attempt to do the same, but much more closely related to the Christian vision, is a positive development.
While we can’t know at this point exactly what kinds of policies Vance thinks will help bring about a new pro-natalism, it is clear his heart and mind are focused there.
Toward the end of his remarks, Vance addressed the frustrations many pro-lifers have felt since the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Vance spoke to the emotions that follow in the wake of recent constitutional amendments and other prolife losses. He encouraged pro-lifers this way:
JD VANCE: It is a blessing to know the truth…to know that the picture on the ultrasound is a picture of a baby with hopes and dreams to come.
One might recall the moral reasoning of our sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln, who insisted that a nation could not go on “half slave and half free.” J.D. Vance may be subtly making the same point with his reference to an ultrasound. It either portrays a human being or doesn’t. Both can’t be true.
I’m Hunter Baker.
WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.
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