Prayer for the March for Life (January 22)
Every year since January 22, 1974
(first anniversary of Roe v. Wade)
Location
Washington, D.C.
Website
www.marchforlife.org
The March for Life is an annual rally and march against the practice and legality of abortion, held in Washington, D.C., either on or around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision legalizing abortion nationwide which was issued in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court. The participants in the march have advocated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which happened at the end of the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24, 2022. It is a major gathering of the anti-abortion movement in the United States and it is organized by the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

Nearly 500 young Catholics from the Boston Archdiocese will travel this weekend to the annual March for Life in Washington to protest on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
The youth, who range from middle-school students to young adults in their 20s, are the largest group yet to travel from Boston to attend the annual antiabortion rally tomorrow, organizers said.
Megan Stacey, 16, who is going with a group from St. Mary’s High School in Lynn, said the impact of the event extends well beyond Washington.
“It not only makes a difference just being in D.C., to the people around there, but to be able to tell people about it when we get home and say to people, ‘I’m going to D.C. this weekend; I’m going to stand up for something I believe in’ - I think that’s a really powerful experience,’’ said Stacey, who also attended last year’s march.
Groups from parishes in the Boston archdiocese began traveling to the March for Life in 2008, when about 130 youth participated. This year, around 480 will take part, organizers say. The March for Life has been held annually since 1974.
The march protests Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that eased restrictions on abortion. The Catholic Church opposes abortion and advocates overturning the decision.
Some protesters boarded buses yesterday, and others are expected to leave early this morning for the capital, where they will join up with groups from around the country.
Organizers of the march say that about 400,000 people attended last year’s event, and that they expect similar numbers this year.
The Rev. Matt Williams, director of the archdiocese’s Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults, is leading the trip, which will feature visits to Washington landmarks and a Mass said by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart.
Williams said attending the march often helps cement the resolve of young Catholics.
“Kids realize, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m not alone in my beliefs,’ ’’ Williams said. “They grow deeper in their faith.’’
The antiabortion event will feature speaking appearances by several well-known Republican politicians, including House Speaker John Boehner and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
Stacey said she hoped her group’s actions would send a message to politicians, recalling a moment at last year’s rally when the group sang “God Bless America’’ on the steps of the Capitol.
“It was just a powerful moment of prayer and pride for our country, too,’’ she said.
bostonglobe.com/…/story.html