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Annual March for Life continues despite overturning of Roe v. Wade

Despite the cold and snow, people from across the country gathered for the annual March for Life in Washington.
Annual March for Life continues despite overturning of Roe v. Wade
Posted at 5:23 PM, Jan 19, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-19 19:24:11-05

The overall focus may be a little different this year, but anti-abortion groups say the mission's still the same.

"My motivation is just to let people know they don't have to turn to abortion," says March for Life attendee Christina Washington. 

"Now it's just winning over the hearts and minds of people," echoed Connor Vogelsong with the Young Americans Foundation. 

Despite the cold and snow, people from across the country gathered for the annual March for Life in Washington. Anti-abortion groups say their goal in a post-Roe America is making abortion "unthinkable."

"Right now the focus is on making sure that every woman, every pregnant woman has the resources to choose life and to have their babies," said  Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. 

For Day, that includes supporting funding for Crisis Pregnancy Centers, anti-abortion facilities that provide diapers, wipes and other necessities for families.

While giving away millions of dollars in goods to families, they've also been accused by medical groups and some state officials of using deceptive practices, misusing funds and false advertising.

"A lot of people are making these comments, have never visited a pregnancy center, never talked to anybody who worked there, never talked to any women who benefited from the services of the pregnancy center," Day said. 

She also contends the centers are just one part of redefining the meaning of "pro-life," saying it also means support for a new bill that would expand the child tax credit.

"This march today is about the woman and the baby. You know we care about the baby in the womb, we care about the baby after the womb," Day said. 

According to the Guttmacher Institute, in 2023 some 22 states and D.C. enacted 129 measures protecting abortion access — the highest number of protections ever enacted in a single year.

When it comes to the federal level,  another issue on the 2024 agenda for anti-abortion groups is protecting the Hyde Amendment, a little-known policy that keeps federal dollars from funding abortion in most cases. 

SEE MORE: Idaho can enforce strict abortion ban even in emergencies, court rules


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