National March for Life 2026

March Day, the biggest day of the year for the Pro-life movement, National March for Life Day! People across the United States of America unite to stand for life in our nation's capitol, Washington DC. This day brings tens of thousands of people together and has only been growing in recent years with no stopping for weather. While we did see a small decrease in attendance after Roe v Wade got overturned, last year's showing was pretty remarkable. While we begin the new year, as people march and pray for an end to abortion at the hands of legislators, let's recall the history of our movement, how far we have come and work to still be done. 

The first March for Life was held in 1974 for the first Anniversary of Roe v Wade, but the story starts long before the landmark case. During the early 1800s, abortions were not talked about or regulated nearly as much as we consider them today (even though they are still pretty unregulated in certain states). Abortions after the quickening (the noticeable movement of the fetus in the womb) were illegal but anytime prior to this was okay, some believe it was due to the danger involved by using medical instruments or other objects to induce an abortion after movement rather than herbal mixtures the mother would drink. We saw the first instance of any pro-life movement with doctors speaking out about how it is impossible to tell when life begins in the womb. Some cited medical advancement but others believe it to be more politically charged in an effort to restrict other physicians. Either way, laws were implemented and most of the country had restrictions on abortion, with exceptions for protecting the mothers life, that would go untouched until the 60s. However, in the 1920s Margarent Sanger started the American Birth Control League and promoted birth control encouraging women to have less children and live out their spirit with less child bearing. Sanger even worked to bring illegal devices into the country, according to the Comstock Act, to supply birth control. 

In the 1960s with an influx of fetal abnormalities and still births due to new medications and illnesses, lawyers began suggesting changes to the abortion laws allowing for more exceptions in the cases of rape and birth defects. This, coupled with the beginning of a feminist movement that believed women were not full citizens until they could control reproduction, brought abortion to the forefront of American minds and attempts to reform had begun. A few states repealed their abortion laws in the late 60s but the decision was individual per state.  This brings us to the 1970s and the Roe v Wade decision alongside Doe v Bolton which legalized abortion throughout the nation, overruling any abortion laws. The following year was the first March for Life and in the years to follow there was a shift from a state-by-state basis to a national one. While the court case could not be overruled legislators passed the Hyde Amendment limiting federal funds from financing abortion. 

As the years went on the pro-life movement kept marching and devising new ways to show the public how valuable life in the womb is. This was done through ultrasound images which had been available with medical advancement and various studies showing the life in the womb as valuable. New procedures making it possible for children to survive outside of the womb earlier in pregnancy and treating their ailments prior to birth were monumental in showing the humanity of the fetus. This emphasis on the baby overshadowed the importance of the mother and really pushed women backstage.

Moving to the modern pro-life movement, we see the rise in organizations that are focused on dialogue, changing hearts and minds of those on the other side instead of trying to prevent people from getting abortions through force and graphic imagery. Groups like Students for Life of America, Live Action, 40 Days for Life and Justice For All, work to provide information, to people of all ages, about fetal development and the inherent value we as humans have from the moment of conception, while also emphasizing the harm abortion has caused the mother and provide her with resources. Despite this Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, has grown into a global enterprise that receives millions in federal funding every year. However, our story is just beginning! 

On June 24th 2022, in front of the Supreme Court, President of Students for Life of America, Kristan Hawkins, read the ruling of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision: “the constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” overturning Roe v Wade’s 49 year reign as the supreme abortion law of the land. This landmark moment has changed the landscape once again and unmasked the pro-life laws across the country. Making some states safe havens for the preborn and others death sentences. In one such state, New Mexico, the governor allocated millions of dollars to a brand new abortion facility on the border of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico while also setting up an abortion hotline and preventing counties from setting themselves up as Sanctuaries for the Unborn. Alongside this abortion pills are being shipped to anyone who will order them, like boyfriends who intend to force abortions on their pregnant girlfriends or women who have pregnancy complications or are unsure how far along they are. Even minors who don’t know if they are pregnant or, if they are, haven’t searched out medical care or opinion. The pro-abortion movement has had their heyday. 

The first year of Post-Roe America was filled with growing pains as everything changed the way we promote and protect life, but in the 4 years since, we have removed some of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding and exposed the reality of abortion and how it affects women and our environment. We have asked for investigations on abortionists who harm women and the abortion pill which has become readily available endangering women. We have seen an influx of pro-life pregnancy resource centers that offer services to mothers no matter what situation they may be in. The start of our own Pro-Life Advocacy Network saw us reaching out to those online and starting the dialogue in a volatile uncharted territory. Most of all we see people changing hearts and minds, states changing their laws, and women receiving healing for the pain they experienced through abortion. We have seen at least 100 abortion facilities close across the country including at least 20 Planned Parenthoods in the last year, their biggest abortion facility located in Houston among them. We are on the verge of completely defunding and debarring Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds that they claim are not being used on abortion. Among so many more amazing things I think it is safe to say that no matter what you hear out there America is becoming more pro-life than ever! We have worked for over 50 years to protect the innocent lives of children in the womb and our work is far from done. Women will always need resources, hearts and minds will always need changing, but despite all that we have made some exceptional strides to protect the lives of children in the womb and provide for their mothers and families. Don’t let our small successes stop you from being an exceptional pro-life activist and planting as many seeds as you can, you never know what those seeds may become. 

We’ve got lives to save!

PLAN leadership at the 2026 National March for Life