On Jan. 22, 1974, thousands of Americans participated in the first March for Life in Washington D.C. to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the ruling on Roe v. Wade, which affirmed a woman’s right to have an abortion. Forty-two years later, the March for Life has grown to become the nation’s largest Pro-Life event, bringing people from all 50 states in the U.S. and from around the world together to peacefully stand up for life. The 2016 annual March for Life was held on Friday, Jan. 22, while our nation’s capital braced for a massive blizzard.
The March for Life brings together hundreds of thousands of people from all backgrounds to peacefully speak out for life. This year’s event began with a rally featuring music, poetry and speakers such as presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and concluded with a prayerful march from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court.
The theme for March for Life 2016 was “Pro-Life and Pro-Woman Go Hand in Hand.” According to Marchforlife.org, “It has been said—politically and culturally—that for one to be pro-woman one must be pro-choice. But nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, there are so many confusing messages regarding women and the issue of abortion, compounded by the false ‘war on women’ rhetoric. The truth is that life is the empowering choice for women. It’s best for women and families facing unplanned pregnancies, and it’s best for developing female babies in the womb. Abortion harms women, and affects our society as a whole, in so many ways.”
It’s difficult to count exactly how many people attend the March for Life, but it’s estimated that over half of a million people attended the March in 2013, which exceeded the estimated attendance of 400,000 people in 2012. This year, up to 500,000 people were expected to attend the March in Washington D.C. That’s about seven times as many people that will attend the Super Bowl this year.
What’s unfortunate is that an event this large receives little national media coverage. I googled “March for Life 2016," and selected the “News” tab. USA Today did post a short article online that gave a brief overview of the event and mentioned the fact that the March would go on despite the impending blizzard warning. All of the other articles on the tab were by small, lesser-known news sources or Christian websites. There was no coverage in sight by major news networks like ABC, NBC or CBS. It’s disheartening to see that the media is so reluctant to bring attention to such a massive event.
The lack of coverage is not limited to traditional news outlets. Thousands of young people, including high school and college students travel to Washington D.C. each year for this event. With social media so widely used, especially by high school and college age students, it seems like Snapchat, for example, would be a perfect way to publicize this huge event. Unfortunately, Snapchat features live stories from the “No Pants Subway Ride,” but not the March for Life.
Regardless of the nod that the media fails to give a significant event like this, I have no doubt that the March for Life will continue and will grow even stronger, as long as threats to the life of the unborn exist. Thank you, to all of those who stand up for life.
