March for Life 2020 is gearing up for its annual two-mile trek from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. Yesterday, organizers of the event, which drew approximately 100,000 participants last year, announced something big: President Trump will speak to the crowd in person tomorrow—a first for a U.S. President.
Trump and March for Life 2020 made the announcement on a significant day. Yesterday was the 47th anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling, which legalized abortion in the United States.
In a statement about the development, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini wrote:
We are deeply honored to welcome President Trump to the 47th annual March for Life. He will be the first president in history to attend and we are so excited for him to experience in person how passionate our marchers are about life and protecting the unborn. From the appointment of pro-life judges and federal workers, to cutting taxpayer funding for abortions here and abroad, to calling for an end to late-term abortions, President Trump and his Administration have been consistent champions for life and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering. We are grateful for all these pro-life accomplishments and look forward to gaining more victories for life in the future.
The March for Life is honored to announce @realDonaldTrump will be the first U.S. President to speak at the March for Life Rally. Thank you, President Trump, for being a voice for the unborn and continuously working to build a culture of life. https://t.co/lojZssLeim
— March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 22, 2020
The Trump Administration’s History With March for Life
March for Life 2020 won’t be the first time the Trump administration has had a representative at the event. Nor will it be the first time that Trump has addressed the marchers, although it will be the first time he’s done so in person.
In 2017, Mike Pence was the first Vice President in office to attend the rally. Last year, Pence and his wife, Karen, surprised attendees of the March for Life by showing up in person. Mike Pence’s March for Life speech included highlights of the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail the reach of abortion. He also introduced a video featuring Trump, to whom he referred as the “most pro-life president in American history.”
At multiple events in the past, both Trump and Pence have reminded pro-lifers what the administration has done for the pro-life cause. As Pence pointed out in his speech last year, Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, which blocks foreign non-governmental organizations from performing abortions while also receiving U.S. global family planning assistance. Additionally, Trump has “appointed more conservative men and women to our federal courts of appeals than any president in American history.” Finally, Pence pointed to Trump’s legislation aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood.
The announcement that Trump will be attending the rally this year created a lot of excitement. In fact, March for Life apologized to visitors of its Twitter account, saying the extra traffic to the site had caused it to go down temporarily.
Our website is currently down due to the surge in web traffic after our President Trump announcement. While we work on getting back online, please use our March for Life app to stay up to date on changing details: https://t.co/cUpu0EP2fU
— March for Life (@March_for_Life) January 23, 2020
While March for Life events have already started in Washington, the official start of the rally is at noon tomorrow (Friday, January 24, EST). Pro-lifers will begin their two-mile march at 1pm. Those unable to attend the rally can watch it being streamed on March for Life’s Facebook page.
Other speakers of note are Jim Daly of Focus on the Family, Abby Johnson of And Then There Were None, abortion survivor Melissa Ohden, and pastor David Platt. To see the full list of speakers and when they will address the group, please visit March for Life’s site.
