Hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates will gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual National March for Life, including 55 students and faculty members from Cedarville University. The Friday, Jan. 23, event is the world’s largest human rights demonstration, uniting participants from across the country around the theme, “Life Is a Gift.”
For Cedarville senior communication major Rachel Hartford from Cedarville, Ohio, the issue of life is not only political but deeply personal.
“I’m so grateful that my biological parents chose to put me up for adoption,” said Hartford. “They couldn’t care for me, but they still gave me the best life possible. And God has used that in amazing ways.”
From a cultural standpoint, Hartford said, she had every reason to be aborted. Her biological parents were high school seniors who didn’t have jobs, and they lacked family support. But she was adopted into a loving, pro-life Christian family, where she was taught that every human life has inherent value.
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“We are not made in the image of God because of the DNA we get from our parents,” said Hartford. “We have value because God formed us in His image.”
Hartford challenges a common narrative within the pro-choice movement that unwanted children lack worth.
“There’s this idea that if a child is unwanted, they don’t have value, but that’s not true,” she said. “And personally, I take offense to that. It’s sad and heartbreaking.”
Hartford now serves as president of Cedarville’s Students for Life organization alongside Vice President Ruby Stedman, a senior communication major from Newark, Ohio. After a previous partnership ended, the student leaders began planning a major advocacy initiative: taking a large group of students to the March for Life.
Organizing a trip of 50 students presents challenges, but the group saw strong support from faculty and donors. Several professors, including Dr. Tiffany Thomson, provided logistical help, encouragement and securing donations.
The national March for Life invites marchers “to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates the joy, beauty and goodness of life itself,” said National March for Life president Jennie Bradley Lichter.
Traveling by charter bus, the students will arrive in Washington, D.C., early Friday morning—just in time to participate in the demonstration. It is their hope that their presence brings together advocacy, speakers and cultural celebration.
