Thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., Friday to be voices for the unborn at the 44th annual March for Life.
Mike Pence, vice president of the United States, addressed the crowd gathered for a rally held at the National Mall before the march.
“More than 240 years ago, our founders wrote words that have echoed through the ages,” Pence said. “They declared these truths to be self-evident, that we are, all of us, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“Forty-four years ago, our Supreme Court turned away from the first of these timeless ideals. But today, three generations hence, because of all of you, and the many thousands that stand with us in marches like this all across the nation, life is winning again in America,” Pence said.
“You know, life is winning in America. And today is a celebration of that progress that we have made in this cause. You know I’ve long believed that a society can be judged by how we care for its most vulnerable: the aged, the infirm, the disabled and the unborn.
“We have come to a historic moment in the cause for life. And we must meet this moment with respect and compassion for every American,” Pence said.
Since the time of Roe v. Wade’s ruling, people from all over the country have gathered on the anniversary to make a stance on the clear fundamental rights of each human being.
This year, Gannon University made its presence known with a group of 14 people, including students, staff and seminarians. I have had the opportunity to experience the March for Life since my freshman year of high school, and I was excited to experience it for the sixth time in general and for the second time with Gannon.
I found this year to be incredibly different in comparison to the marches in the past. Last year, in particular, brought forth a smaller crowd due to the weather conditions. The weather this year allowed for a significantly larger crowd to gather together.
The atmosphere of the march can always be classified as vibrant and youthful; however, if there was one word I could use to describe the march this year, it would be hopeful.
With the inauguration of a new president who has already begun the process of pro-life advocacy, those in attendance at the March for Life spoke of hope and the real possibility of living in a nation that is pro-life.
Many gathered to hear the sitting vice president speak for the first time in the march’s history and the media coverage lasted longer than the usual 10 seconds.
I was completely taken aback, especially with the group of people from Gannon, by the liveliness and simple joy that surrounded the event despite a long bus ride, lack of sleep, many miles of walking and the cold weather.
The words of Pence of “life winning again” still ring true and I saw it clearly in the hearts of my fellow students.

DANIELA ALBAN
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