If you’ve had your fill of March for Life coverage, my apologies for this post (and please tell me where you’re getting your news).
The first March for Life in Washington was 44 years ago, one year after the Roe v. Wade abortion decision was imposed by the Supreme Court. There’s been a march every year since then. I’ve been to six or seven of them.
Never have I been part of a larger march than I was last January 19. The weather was surely a factor: full sun, mid-forties. Yet that doesn’t account for most of the marchers, who chartered their buses months ago.
I didn’t count noses. It’s tough to count from the midst of a sea of humanity. I’ve since seen back-and-forth posts from attendees at the March for Life and the following day’s “women’s march,” with squabbles over crowd size that sound like some chief executive tweeting about who’s got a bigger button.
I can assure you of a few things: the March for Life is not a diminishing phenomenon. It continues to attract marchers of all ages. It’s also a rallying point for new pro-life coalitions and groups (like the former abortion workers of And Then There Were None) that couldn’t have been imagined back when Nellie Gray organized the first March for Life in 1974.
I missed the President’s pre-March rally video-link greeting, choosing instead to meet with a group from New Wave Feminists who were hosting a rally of their own before joining the March. If you think all pro-lifers are alike, NWF will burst your bubble. And it’ll be fun.
During the March, I lost track of my marching companions not once but twice. It was tough to stay in touch with them even via text, as the sheer number of people making social media posts from the March affected local cell service. No problem: this was a good day to make new friends and to bump into old ones.
Next year’s March for Life in D.C. will be on Friday, January 18, 2019.
Leaven for the Loaf 
Great pictures Ellen!
No need to apologize, there wasn’t much coverage for me to see when I came back from the March, unless I went on youtube to go looking for it. The President and VP were among the guest speakers, and as usual all of the speakers were extraordinary. The singer that prayed with us before the rally began was amazing. It was good to see the March through your eyes, and what you were able to capture on film and in your experience.