After Roe Decision, March for Life Kicks Off in Washington - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Thousands of anti-abortion activists convened connected the National Mall connected Friday for the March for Life, the rally held each January since 1974 to protestation Roe v. Wade.

This year, for the archetypal time, they were determination to observe its demise. And with Roe defeated, it was besides an accidental for caller ideas, organizations and voices to marque their debuts connected the nationalist stage.

“This is simply a infinitesimal to specify the adjacent section of the pro-life movement,” Andrew Guernsey, a young argumentation advisor for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, told attendees astatine a sheet called “Capitol Hill 101” the time earlier the march.

Activists crossed the state person said they were looking guardant to the archetypal large gathering since the Supreme Court overturned the law close to termination past summer, the culmination of 5 decades of activism. Historically, the march has served arsenic an juncture for strategizing, socializing, and making caller connections with different activists.

Speakers connected Friday included Mississippi’s lawyer general, Lynn Fitch, who won Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court lawsuit that overturned Roe. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House bulk leader, was besides scheduled to code the crowd, and Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus successful the popular Christian play “The Chosen,” was expected to marque a archetypal quality astatine the event.

What immoderate activists anticipated past summertime would beryllium their enactment of the period arrives astatine a complicated infinitesimal for the movement. After notable losses successful the midterms, Republican lawmakers are struggling with what it means to beryllium “pro-life” successful a post-Roe governmental landscape. Other culture-war issues, including debates astir gender, are taking up oxygen connected the right. And erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, who became the archetypal sitting president to code the march successful idiosyncratic successful 2020, present seems to beryllium distancing himself from the movement, precocious blaming “the termination issue” for Republicans’ losses successful the midterms and lashing retired astatine evangelical leaders for being insufficiently loyal to him aft the wins helium delivered connected abortion.

Many activists accidental they spot the reset arsenic a positive.

“Dobbs has provided an unthinkable accidental for innovation successful the pro-life movement, peculiarly astatine the authorities level,” said Brent Leatherwood, elected past autumn arsenic president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the nationalist argumentation limb of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Mr. Leatherwood was among the attendees astatine a backstage convening this week of Stand for Life, an enactment that launched a fewer weeks agone arsenic an confederation of much than 100 existing groups with the extremity of gathering unity successful the movement. One of their archetypal projects is simply a program connected termination and different “life issues” to beryllium distributed by churches. The radical was founded by Lauren McAfee, a granddaughter of the founders of Hobby Lobby.

While the march brought retired galore veterans of the movement, it besides attracted immoderate newcomers.

Holli Shelton said she had an termination erstwhile she was 18 successful her location authorities of Arkansas. On Friday morning, she joined the March for Life for the archetypal time, carrying a motion that said “I regret my abortion.”

Nearly 3 decades aft her abortion, Ms. Shelton, a therapist, traveled to Washington with her college-aged daughter.

“This is simply a caller happening for me,” Ms. Shelton said, gesturing to her sign. “I deliberation contiguous is simply a commencement for my healing.”

At different events crossed the city, anti-abortion activists socialized and made caller connections.

At a sheet treatment hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture the nighttime earlier the march, panelists exulted successful the Dobbs triumph — 1 compared it to the Cubs winning the World Series — but acknowledged determination was enactment to beryllium done connected “building a civilization of love.”

Herb Geraghty, 26, utilized the march arsenic the clip to assistance re-launch the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians arsenic the Rainbow Pro-Life Alliance, partially successful acknowledgment of shifting connection astir sex and sexuality.

“If we’re not welcomed by the mainstream movement, past we’ll marque our ain space,” said Mr. Geraghty, who is the enforcement manager of Rehumanize International. Given the rising Gen-Z beingness successful the anti-abortion movement, helium added, “I’m an optimist.”

Rehumanize International — which opposes termination and the decease punishment — is hosting a karaoke fund-raiser arsenic an after-party to the march astatine a barroom connected Friday night. (There volition beryllium vegan nutrient options, and the invitation notes that the venue has gender-neutral bathrooms.)

In the tally up to Friday’s march, anti-abortion organizations acceptable up tables successful the hallways of a edifice downtown, wherever unit members and volunteers handed retired pamphlets, wristbands, and candy.

Abigail Bongiorno, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society, a blimpish instrumentality steadfast that often represents anti-abortion clients, beamed astatine a radical of high-school students that passed her booth.

“The fig of radical I’ve already seen, the fig of young women here, it’s been perfectly wonderful,” she said.

On Sunday, Ms. Bongiorno’s location authorities of Wisconsin volition beryllium the main big of the annual Women’s March, an lawsuit created successful 2017 to protestation Mr. Trump’s inauguration. This year’s Women’s March volition absorption connected protecting termination entree done authorities courts and legislatures. The organization’s marquee lawsuit volition beryllium held successful Madison, with affiliated events planned crossed the country.

Rachel Carmona, enforcement manager of the Women’s March, said the demise of Roe was “a nonaccomplishment wrapped successful a win” for Republicans, due to the fact that they person been forced to contend with recently energized voters who enactment termination access.

Catholics for Choice, a radical that supports termination rights, had papered the march way with fliers bearing slogans supporting termination rights. Other activists interrupted a Friday greeting supplication work associated with the march, shouting “Protect termination access” and “Protect trans lives.”