There's a pro-abortion idea going around that the pro-life movement doesn't care about babies after they are born. It's a lie. Every January, the pro-life cause hosts a March for Life in Washington, D.C., and while the media recaps of the event tend to be about the headlining politicians, such speakers are, in a sense, the side show. Young people make the March for Life.
Ten years ago, I was onstage at the March and took a few pictures of what was in front of me. Thousands of high school and college students were in the crowd. The photo from this year could be the same. Different faces, same ages. Young people with their lives ahead of them.
Part of the reason we continue to have a March for Life in January, marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, even though the Supreme Court finally threw out the decision that had made abortion a federal right, is to remind people: If you find yourself facing an unplanned pregnancy, you are not alone.
That's why it drives pro-lifers crazy that the media never gives much attention to the march. If you happen to be a regular attendee, you know that the message goes way beyond politics. It's about renewal and reaffirmation. The joy of the youth in attendance reenergizes the rest of us for another year of trying to build a culture of life, one that promotes opportunity and encourages love for everyone.
Every single solitary life matters. Every person has a value that they – and we – may not even be aware of. That's a big part of the March for Life events every year: Letting people know that they matter and are loved.
The March for Life offers a solution to the troubles plaguing our society, and it lies in a simple idea: gratitude to our creator for the gift of human life, each and every one of us. It's important for a woman feeling scared and unsure of her options to know that there are not only resource centers and maternity homes out there, but neighbors willing to support you. The pro-life movement is not only about opposing and ending abortion, but also a pledge of acceptance and a promise of support. We want to make sure you and your family can have that pursuit of happiness that our country promises us.
We will keep marching. To end abortion. To re-up our commitment to life. To pledge again to leave no one alone to be pressured into abortion, or to live with the pain of unnecessary death. The March for Life is about freedom. It may look the same, different faces, young people who came and are grown, but we do it so you can see that this is what we are about: Life is worth living. Let's do it together, better.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living." She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan's pro-life commission in New York, and is on the board of the University of Mary. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.