March for Life Education and Defense Fund

The mission of the March for Life is to promote the beauty and dignity of every human life by working to end abortion—uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square. When each pro-life American marches together, and says “yes” to their unique mission within the pro-life movement, abortion will not simply be illegal, but unthinkable.

Unite
Millions of Americans are heartbroken over the state of legalized abortion in the United States, yet many feel alone in their convictions. We are strongest when we stand together which is why each March for Life unites pro-life people with their neighbors who hold the same beliefs. Hundreds of thousands from all 50 states gather at the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. every year. During the March for Life week and weekend, hundreds of pro-life events are organized in D.C. to give people even more opportunities to connect with one another. The State Marches for Life bring together the pro-life movement in individual states giving citizens a chance to witness against the injustice of abortion and get involved with local pro-life organizations making a difference all-year-round. By uniting the entire pro-life movement every year in Washington D.C. and uniting each state’s pro-life movement, pro-life Americans will know they are not alone in their convictions and will gain the courage to speak out against abortion.

Educate
Too many pro-life Americans fail to take action in the fight to end abortion because they do not feel confident in their knowledge of this important and controversial issue. The March for Life aims to equip pro-life Americans with the truth about abortion through year-round online advocacy training and media engagement. Each March for Life invites foremost experts and activists to share their perspective and knowledge as speakers at the March for Life Rally and subsequent training events.

Mobilize
The March for Life is dedicated to mobilizing pro-life Americans by calling each marcher to take a more active role within the movement by saying “yes” to their unique pro-life mission. We do this through two primary avenues. First, through the March for Life Exposition Hall, the largest pro-life exposition hall in the world, which gathers top pro-life organizations from across the country and thousands of pro-life marchers attending the March for Life. At the exposition hall, each marcher is encouraged to connect with a pro-life organization whose mission aligns with their individual passion and abilities. Second, marchers are invited to join the March for Life Action Activist Network. All 200,000+ members of the Activist Network, are sent easy and effective opportunities to lobby for life directly to their phones, and receive training from the best pro-life lobbyists, bolstering their ability to confidently promote life-saving legislation.

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund has a consistent record of empowering pro-life Americans to become proactive advocates for the unborn and their mothers. Since our founding in 1974, the annual March for Life has been a source of rejuvenation for the pro-life movement, a powerful testament to the truth of the dignity and value of human life, and a striking peaceful protest against abortion. Every January, despite inclement weather, hundreds of thousands of pro-life people from all 50 states march to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. at the annual March for Life. In addition to marching, hundreds of pro-life organizations host events in Washington D.C. during the week of the March for Life, giving marchers more opportunities to become educated and active within the movement. With over four decades of leadership, the March for Life is revered as one of the leading voices in the global pro-life movement.

As the second-largest pro-life social media presence in the world, the March for Life educates our 400k+ followers every day, equipping them to be effective advocates for life. Each January, the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. reaches millions on all major social media platforms. The March for Life social media content was viewed over 82 million times in 2018. In 2019, that number climbed to 27 million times in January alone. March for Life trended nationally on Twitter for the day of the March in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Despite media bias, the March for Life reaches millions of viewers through mainstream media. The 2019 March for Life news features reached:
- 5.99 billion in online readership,
- 11.2 million media coverage views,
- 542 thousand news feature social shares,
- 453 individual media hits, including 20 op-eds in national media outlets.

Jeanne Mancini’s, President of the March for Life, years of experience in pro-life and pro-family policy before coming to the March for Life, positions her to lead the March for Life, and the greater pro-life movement, with the wisdom of experience and a clear vision for how to bring about a pro-life culture. Jeanne represents the hundreds of thousands of marchers as a go-to voice for the movement in national media.

World’s Largest Annual Pro-life Event
When Nellie Gray, and a small group of pro-life Americans, started the March for Life in 1974, they could never have imagined the significance of what would become the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. After Roe v. Wade and the ensuing pro-abortion legislation came down, most assumed the fierce protests from pro-life Americans would die down over time as Americans adopted the new abortion-on-demand “status quo”. Yet, since the first March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, pro-life Americans have amassed in droves in Washington D.C. to publically oppose abortion, growing in vibrancy and numbers every year. The pro-life movement, becoming stronger and more effective over time, is often ignored by the media and politicians; however, at each March for Life, the full force of the pro-life movement is seen in the public square. In addition to the sheer number of marchers, the March for Life continues to attract young people (about 70% of marchers) and inspire them to take action. After each March for Life, we are flooded by testimonies from young marchers who have elected to dedicate themselves to the pro-life cause because of the March for Life.
The March for Life in Washington D.C. has instigated similar marches for life in over 50 countries. The March for Life leadership is regularly asked to council these international marches to share what we have learned from over 4 decades of marching.

Launching State March for Life Program
The battle over legalized abortion in the United States will not end when Roe v. Wade is overturned. Instead, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, states will once again have the power to decide what the legal limit of abortion will be in their state. Recognizing this reality, the March for Life launched a State March for Life initiative to bring the inspirational power of the March for Life to all 50 states. Through the State March for Life Program, our team comes alongside pro-life organizations within each state to either start an annual March for Life or to bolster their already existing March for Life.

STATE MARCH PROGRAM LAUNCHES: VIRGINIA MARCH FOR LIFE
For the first time in the state’s history, 7,000 Virginians marched for life in Richmond on April 3, 2019. Outside of a Governor’s Inauguration, this is the largest crowd to ever assemble on the Virginia Capitol grounds. During the March for Life Rally, every pro-life State Senator and State Delegate stood on the Capitol steps in solidarity with their constituents. The Richmond Times-Dispatch featured the Virginia March for Life on the cover the following day. March for Life Action trained 200 Virginians to engage their politicians on pro-life policies at Richmond 101 following the March. The following year, Virginians gathered once again to peacefully protest legalized abortion and lobby against the pro-abortion Virginia Senate Bill 733 and House Bill 980 at the second annual March for Life.