2025 March for Life: ‘Every Single Person…Was Filled with Joy and Hope’

By: Sarah Holliday, originally published January 25, 2025, The Washington Stand

Despite frigid weather, gloomy skies, and snow actively falling from the sky, thousands still gathered together for last year’s 51st annual March for Life. This year, however, the 52nd annual March was greeted with sunshine, optimism, and Americans excited not just to fight for life, but to finally be accompanied by an administration that is far more supportive than ever before.

A tsunami of pro-lifers took to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. There was music and dancing, laughter and conversation. Anyone within earshot of the masses could hear praise and worship as it echoed throughout the premises. The name of Jesus was praised time and again throughout today’s event. But what always stands out most about the March for Life is not merely the cause itself, but the very people who allow this movement to exist. Perhaps the atmosphere from today’s march is summarized well in what Mary Szoch, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Human Dignity, stated: “Every single person who walked… was filled with joy and hope.”

On the ground, the crowd was full of Americans from across the country. But it was not just Americans whowere marching, there were international groups as well such as Korea Pro-Life, who were situated front and center of it all. On the ground, The Washington Stand spoke with a handful of people who attended the March, gaining insight into what attendees were most passionate about, as well as their hopes under the new administration.

Christina, for example, flew in from Indiana to march for Grace, a girl who would have been 14 years old today if she had not been tragically aborted. “I’m fighting for a little girl named Grace,” she stated. “It makes me cry thinking about it. She was taken from us too soon after she was aborted after the mother was coerced into getting an abortion she didn’t want.” Now, over a decade later, Grace’s mother finds herself “devastated.” Although Grace’s mom could not attend the march this year, Christina happily did so for her. “I’m standing for Grace,” she emphasized, “and I hope one day the mother will be here with me. Together, we’re going to continue to fight for the voiceless. I think it’s our Christian duty” to do so.

Christina offered encouragement to women who are struggling, just as Grace’s mom did. “My encouragement,” she said, “is that the hard times only last a little while. Even if it’s very difficult and you don’t see a way for the future, God has a way of changing the entire world for you. So, hold on. Do everything you can to fight for life. We’re here. We love you. You don’t have to be ashamed. You are amazing. You can do it. You go, mama.”

Alex, who came in from Boston, also spoke with TWS. His prayer is that every pro-lifer will “be empowered to not be afraid to take and live out [the] gospel of life in the real world. And we also pray for those who are against us, [because] we know we have enemies. We want to love them and pray that they can come see that life is a gift and it’s to be cherished.” Similarly, Zachary Gohl, an intern with FRC, explained how his hope is for more people to recognize that “life is the most sacred and fundamental right that we as Americans are granted … by God.”

Zachary continued, “The fact that we’ve aborted nearly 70 million babies, which is more than 11 times the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, is unacceptable. And I think we should do everything we can to stop it and save lives.” This is exactly why he hopes the Trump administration will continue paving the way for a more strongly pro-life America. His prayer is that all throughout this administration, Trump’s team refuses to “compromise, whether with rhetoric or action. Life is the most sacred right that we’re given, and so, fight for it at all costs.”

Zachary is not alone in his earnest prayers that this second Trump administration will continue helping the pro-life movement and the women and babies it seeks to protect. Warner Depriest from Students for Life of America said he hopes “President Trump and Vice President Vance will defund Planned Parenthood.” Victoria Pierce, also with Students for Life, said if she could speak with the president herself, she would “encourage him to keep fighting for the right to life and to make sure to fight harder.”

Abi Prudent of Concerned Women for America also talked with TWS on her optimism about the new administration. “I am optimistic,” she said, but “mainly because I trust in the Lord God who created the world.” As she went on to explain, “For me, the March for Life really means that I get to have the opportunity to hear the stories of so many people from across the country, sometimes around the world, who come and get to tell of how the Lord changed their life and redeemed them from the grief, from the heartache, from the burden that came after the abortion.” And in addition to hearing others stories, Prudent shared that “the Lord has given me the opportunity to be able to share those stories through work [and] through the relationships He’s given me.”

“And so,” she added, “I just love to be able to be a tool for the Lord to share the message.” With the new administration, Prudent is prayerful that with “all of the different policies that are coming out, like the Born Alive Act” and similar measures to come in the future, Trump and his selected team will help with continual progress.

When it comes to the March for Life, Seth Gruber, CEO of The White Rose Resistance, shared with TWS how “there’s just not a larger gathering of pro-lifers in the country” that takes place. He added that maybe “some people think the March is a little bit silly because a lot of people just come and march once, and they don’t do a lot more during the year to protect the unborn.” However, for the vast majority, “it’s still encouraging because a lot of people will credit the March for Life as sort of this inspirational turning point that got them into fighting for the unborn, because very few people have seen this many people unified.”

Gruber went on to say how this unity is not only special, but it’s necessary, “especially when we’re constantly derided by the media, the universities, [and] the Democratic Party for being hateful and bigoted and ‘Christian nationalist.’” Ultimately, “when you come to [a march] like this, after you’re constantly attacked and smeared, and you get to just have that unification with Protestants, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox … [and even] atheists who … also recognize that maybe we shouldn’t kill all the babies, it’s kind of a cool moment … for the unborn. [And it’s] why the March for life is important.”

As for the impact the new administration may have on pro-life matters, Gruber set the reminder for Christians specifically that, no matter what happens, “we’re not accountable or beholden to either political party. We’re beholden to Jesus Christ. And … life matters to Him because Jesus entered human history from the womb to redeem mankind from their sins.” Ultimately, “He’s the greatest former fetus to have ever existed who identified with us from our most vulnerable stage, the prenatal stage.”

Moving forward, whether under Democratic or Republican leadership, “We have no license to remain silent … [but to pray] that the church will awaken and express our commitment and the importance of protecting life so that this new administration will take significant steps to defend the unborn.”

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.