Friday, January 24, 2020, marked the 47th annual March for Life in Washington, DC. Each year, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children walk in protest through Capitol Hill on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions across America. This year’s march theme focused on the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920.
The March for Life is peaceful and allows supporters to band together and celebrate that life begins at conception; this is how God created life and intends for it to be. The march is an opportunity for pro-life supporters nationwide to share God’s message of love, hope, and forgiveness, as well as their stories and experiences, with those around them.
“As we marched down Constitution Avenue singing the hymnody of our Lutheran faith, hymnody that exudes the love of God for His children, I felt proud,” says Heather Ruesch, a Lutheran pro-life advocate, speaker, and author of Sexuality Mentality. “I held my head high and joined my voice with the community of people around me, most of whom I didn’t know and would probably never see again. But we were connected and united. We ARE united—in Christ and in our pure, physiological humanness.”
March for Life Keynote Address
President Trump spoke, the first American president to do so at a March for Life rally event. Some of his talking points included celebrating the mothers at March for Life; defending unborn children through national policy, and allowing pro-life college students to share their views boldly and without fear.
“In a world where competing voices are often silenced, the 2020 March for Life figuratively stood up, took its place on the nation’s podium, and gave the speech of its life,” Heather says. “Hundreds of thousands of people transcended human diversity at its core for the purpose of ensuring that every person, at every stage, has the right to participate in this thing called ‘life.’”
Walking with Lutherans For Life
An estimated 350,000 people walked in this year’s march, including volunteers and members of Lutherans For Life and its high school and college campus ministry group, Y4Life. Participants of Y4Life also engaged in devotions and sessions following Friday’s march, continuing into the weekend.
“I was inspired by the selflessness exhibited by so many leaders who put their lives on hold to mentor and lead the way for those younger in age and life-issues experience,” Heather says. “Last, but not at all least, I was and am grateful for a church body and faith community that isn’t ashamed to shout (and sing!) that Jesus died for sinners like me. That life, and all it brings, is in His capable hands from the very first to the very last of our days.”
To learn more about God’s plan for life, purchase Heather's book, Sexuality Mentality.
