March for Life

Washington D.C., United States of America

Since January, 1974 (first march) until present day, January 23rd, 2026. Every year around the initial ruling of Roe v. Wade, pro-life individuals go out and march for the abolishment of abortion in the United States of America. This past January, a record amount of youth showed up to support a movement that has been gaining traction.

The March for Life is an annual rally and march against the practice and legality of abortion, held in the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States, either on or around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the decision legalizing abortion nationwide issued in 1973 by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The participants in the march have advocated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which in fact happened with the SCOTUS decision on the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. It is a major gathering of the anti-abortion movement in the United States and it is organized by the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. The 2020s saw appearances by online political activists (“influencers”) who could appeal to the young. In 2022 attendance was estimated to be in the tens of thousands, as the fate of legal abortion at the national level rested in the hands of the Supreme Court. Many attendees were members of Generation Z. By 2023, The Washington Post noticed that those who attended the March came from diverse religious backgrounds, white Evangelicals, Protestants, Jews, adherents of nonChristian religions, and members of secular groups. A large number of the marchers were of high-school or college age. Thousands of people from across the United States came out for the 2026 March despite the incoming snowstorm.

The March for Life is conducted as a highly organized, peaceful, and large-scale public demonstration in Washington, D.C. The event typically begins with a centralized rally on the National Mall. This stage features speeches from political figures, religious leaders, and advocates who motivate the crowd and talk about current legislative priorities. Following the rally, participants engage in a procession along a designated route, traditionally moving down Constitution Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court building. The conduct of the march is characterized by strong group participation, with attendees frequently travel and march together in coordinated contingents representing high schools, universities, parishes, and civic organizations from across the country. Demonstrators visually and vocally express their stance by carrying banners and placards, while frequently engaging in unified chants, collective singing, and public prayer. The overall modality is explicitly designed to be non-violent, orderly, and familial, strategically reflecting a coordinated effort to maintain a peaceful public image while firmly demanding ongoing legislative and cultural shifts. (Taken from an article online discussing the March For Life).

Over the last five years, this event has been garnering record attendance from Gen Z. Gen Z sees the march as a human rights issue. They describe the purpose of this action as being a “voice for the voiceless” and “defending human life from conception.” They view themselves as the pro-life generation, framing it less as a traditional religious duty and more as an urgent social justice cause. For them, the meaning of this action is about standing up for the vulnerable and changing the culture to make abortion unthinkable, not just illegal.

Human rights, equality, and youth participation. Participants claim life begins at conception and demand that laws reflect this. You see a lot of messaging around being the “post-Roe” generation. They emphasize diversity by showing up with secular groups, “feminist” groups (if you can call it feminism, maybe pro-traditional gender roles), and youth from various backgrounds to prove it is not just an older demographic. Slogans like “love them both” highlight a focus on supporting mothers alongside the unborn.

They are trying to reach lawmakers, the general public, and other young people. For lawmakers, they seek legislation that restricts abortion and places like Planned

Parenthood. For the public and their peers, the response they seek is a shift in mindset, hoping to change the narrative around on abortion, yet I do not think this aspect is working well. They want to show that youth are turning away from abortion access, aiming to normalize their stance on social media and on college campuses. This is partially happening. If anything, they are showing that mainly right-wing youth are taking this issue up quite vehemently.

Mainstream media and external actors often frame the action as a conservative or religious political rally aimed at stripping away reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. It is frequently portrayed as part of a broader right-wing agenda. The narrative usually highlights the older, religious base of the movement, sometimes overlooking the growing Gen Z presence, and frames the march as a direct threat to healthcare access. The rightwing media, funny enough, largely brushes over this event, giving it coverage but not as much as left-wing outlets.

This framing is promoted heavily by mainstream news outlets, progressive political actors, and reproductive rights advocacy groups. They use legacy media like cable news and major newspapers, as well as platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok to push this narrative. Political actors also use speeches and press releases to warn about the implications of the march’s goals, framing it as either an attack on freedom or a championing of human rights.

The main counter-narrative comes from the marchers themselves, especially the Gen Z actors. They challenge the dominant framing by branding themselves as human rights activists fighting a social injustice, rather than just religious conservatives. This has been THE biggest change over the last five years. Yet still, the supporters are largely religious.

Youth groups use counter-narratives to argue they are pro-woman and pro-science. They actively fight the idea that being anti-abortion is anti-woman by promoting resources for pregnant students.

Put simply, the effect has been polarization. More right-wing youth have taken up this cause, but it has also left-wing youth to actively be pro-choice. Centrist youth have been forced to take up an opinion, which has led to division enhanced by social media algorithms and legacy media.