As the U.S. Supreme Court considers what could be the most significant abortion case in decades, tens of thousands of people will rally for the unborn at the 49th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 21. 

The inaugural March for Life was organized by Nellie Gray, a lawyer for the federal government, in January 1974 as a response to the high court’s decision to legalize abortion nationally through Roe v. Wade in 1973. Gray vowed to hold a March for Life every year until Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Forty-eight years later, America has tragically lost more than 62 million children to abortion. But with the fate of Roe now in the balance, pro-life supporters are hopeful that our country’s laws will soon reflect the personhood of babies in the womb—who have a heartbeat as early as four weeks, develop fingers and toes around eight weeks, and begin to hear and swallow at 20 weeks. 

This year’s theme—“Equality Begins in the Womb”—aims to expand the ongoing conversations surrounding racial and gender equality to include equal protections for unborn life.

“The pro-life movement recognizes the immense responsibility this nation bears to restore equal rights to its most defenseless citizens in the womb,” March for Life President Jeanne Mancini said during a press conference. “Since [the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision], scientific advances have undeniably confirmed the humanity of the unborn, and today most Americans agree there should be significant limits on abortion.

“To this end, we hope the Supreme Court honors the existing constitutional protections for the unborn as they [weigh the] arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,” Mancini said. “No child’s life, either here or abroad, should be threatened by the injustice of abortion.” 

The March route will begin between 12th and 14th streets around 1 p.m. EST, travel down Constitution Avenue and eventually end at the steps of the Supreme Court. 

Cissie Graham Lynch will offer the closing prayer at the event. 

“All life has dignity and purpose, in and outside of the womb,” she told Decision. “I’m so grateful to be participating once again in the March for Life in Washington, D.C.—the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration. As Christians, we are expected to stand up for the vulnerable, and there is nothing more vulnerable than a preborn baby.” 

Mancini believes that we cannot advance as a society without addressing the discrimination taking place against the unborn.

“In order to create a more just society,” she said, “we must recognize that equality begins in the womb.”

Photo: Courtesy of March for Life