The 46th annual March for Life in Washington DC attracted hundreds of thousands of pro-life marchers this year.
A time-lapse video by Students for Life shows the huge turnout of protestors against abortion in the US.
March for Life President Jeanne Mancini told the crowd: “I think you might be the largest crowd ever. Literally, I just cannot see the end of you”.
Human dignity
In a pre-recorded statement, President Donald Trump told the gathering: “This is a movement founded on love and grounded in the nobility and dignity of every human life.
“When we look into the eyes of a newborn child we see the beauty and the human soul and the majesty of God’s creation, we know that every life has meaning and that every life is worth protecting.”
He added that as President “I will always defend the first right in our Declaration of Independence – the right to life”.
‘Stand strong’
Vice President Mike Pence, who attended in person, said: “We gather here because we stand for life. We gather here because we stand for compassion.
“We gather here because we believe as our founders did, because we believe all of us, born and unborn, are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, and first among these rights is the right to life.”
her prayer was for churches to better engage with issues such as abortion
He urged pro-lifers to “stand strong” in the face of opposition, saying: “They will attack you, they will question your hearts to silence others, but don’t listen to them. Listen to the truth”.
‘Genocide’
Speaking at an event prior to the march, Culture of Life Africa President Obianuju Ekeocha told young marchers “You are the pro-life generation, and you will bring an end to the crisis, the abomination, that is abortion.”
She said that “among us today there is a silent genocide happening, and all of us here today have to come to say ‘we want to see an end to this genocide that is abortion’.
“Laws come and go, but universal truths remain. Human life begins at conception without exception.”
Christian influence
Northern Irish Christian songwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty spoke at an Evangelicals for Life event.
Kristyn said her prayer was for churches to better engage with issues such as abortion.
Her husband Keith likened the push against abortion to William Wilberforce’s lifelong battle to end slavery, saying Christians in all walks of life need to stand up and oppose such evils.
They also took the opportunity to highlight the work of pro-life organisation Both Lives Matter, which campaigns against the liberalisation of abortion laws in Northern Ireland.
Paris
In France, the Paris March for Life took place last weekend, with an estimated 50,000 in attendance.
The march’s founder Cécile Edel said: “It’s a real encouragement to see that there are so many young people present – people who 15 years ago were practically newborns. The flame of respect for life has been successfully passed on and is still burning strong.”