By Sharayah Colter
Jan. 24, 2023
Mainstream media outlets and left-leaning elected officials often promote the narrative that Americans overwhelmingly support abortion on demand through all 40 weeks of pregnancy.
This year’s March for Life, held Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C., pushes back on that narrative, though, and offers tangible encouragement to those in the pro-life movement. Mainstream media outlets may dedicate only a sliver of coverage for the event, and social media companies may throttle the reach of pro-life content, but for those marching and those lining the sidewalks of Pennsylvania Avenue during the March for Life, one message rang loudly and clearly: A large number of Americans are strongly, and joyfully, pro-life.
A 2017 Marist poll revealed a similar sentiment.
When asked about banning abortions after 20 weeks, 59 percent of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, indicated they would favor such a ban. Even among Democrats, only 26 percent favored abortion being available to a woman at any time during her pregnancy. That may seem a surprising poll result given that congressional Democrats do not even favor medical care for infants born alive after failed abortions. It seems that even within the party that enshrines abortion “rights” into its party platform, there is less support for unrestricted abortion access than some purport.
The March for Life provides an opportunity not only to demonstrate to government leaders and the world at large that there is broad support for pro-life policies among the American electorate, but also to reaffirm that reality within the movement to end abortion. During last week’s march, in which several leaders from the Conservative Baptist Network participated, the street was packed tightly with evangelicals, Catholics, and even “liberals for life” as one sign read. There were elderly people, middle-aged people, students, children, and babies in strollers.
The Dobbs decision seems to have breathed new life and enthusiasm into the pro-life movement. Now is the time to lean into that enthusiasm, to maximize the energy, and to capitalize on the opportunity to gain the next victory in defending the sanctity of life. As could be heard on repeat during the march from the National Mall to the Capitol, “we are the pro-life generation.” Let us prove it by eradicating legal abortion and affording equal protection under the law to every person “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
