It’s been 49 years since Roe v. Wade was first handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, making abortion-on-demand available throughout our country. One year later, 20,000 people took to the streets of the capital to march for life. This annual public witness calling for the protection of all life, born and unborn, has grown into the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. And God willing, this year’s March may be the last under the shadow of Roe.
Sidewalk Advocates for Life was blessed to be part of this historic event – not only marching with the crowd of 150,000, but also presenting and exhibiting at multiple events surrounding the March. I was honored to lead a panel at the Law of Life Summit discussing the importance of collaboration in creating a culture of life.
I was joined by some of our fantastic partners on the sidewalk, including Abby Johnson with And Then There Were None, Jor-El Godsey with Heartbeat International, and Angela Minter with Support after Abortion. After the March, our team prepared for the National Pro-Life Summit, where we exhibited to nearly 2000 attendees, and I was invited to present how our life-saving program is helping bring an end to abortion. We also had incredible opportunities to share our mission with multiple media outlets.
While the March is always inspiring and invigorating, there was a new spirit of anticipation at this year’s events, as thousands united in the hope that Roe might finally be relegated to our nation’s past. Young people from across the nation proudly announced that they would be the “post-Roe generation.” With the Dobbs v. JWHO case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, this inspiring moniker could be a reality by this summer.
Throughout the trip, I was often asked, “What does a post-Roe world mean for sidewalk advocacy?” If the Court takes the courageous step to strike down or substantially weaken the stranglehold of Roe on our country, it would be a tremendous victory. But our work would still be far from done. This decision would mean that the issue of abortion would revert to the states, many of which would still allow abortion in some or all months of pregnancy. In those communities, our Sidewalk Advocates will be critically important as we anticipate that traffic across state lines – to find the nearest abortion facility – will rise (especially with a growing number of pro-abortion organizations funding interstate travel). In the states willing to ban abortion in a post-Roe world, we will work with communities to take those same sidewalk advocacy skills to the public square, college campuses, and churches to ensure that pregnant moms in crisis still know their options and can find the help they need.
We are so grateful to all of you who remain committed to a world where abortion is not just illegal, but unthinkable …and victory has never been closer! Let’s continue to press forward in this great mission to save lives and END ABORTION. Thank you!
By President & CEO Lauren Muzyka