By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-14 20:01:16 | Updated at 2025-01-18 05:14:30
3 days ago
CV NEWS FEED // Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is among those set to deliver a life-affirming message Jan. 24 at the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.
DeSantis, a Catholic, has a strong pro-life track record since becoming governor of Florida in 2023. In April of that year, he signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which protects unborn children from abortion once the child’s heartbeat is detected.
As CatholicVote previously reported, DeSantis will receive the National Pro-Life Recognition Award from Priests for Life at the National Prayer Service in Washington D.C., preceding the March for Life.
Other pro-life leaders set to speak at the March for Life include professional surfer Bethany Hamilton; Live Action founder Lila Rose; abortion survivor Josiah Presley; New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith; and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo, chair of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
>> Surfer Bethany Hamilton to be keynote speaker at 2025 March for Life <<
“We are overjoyed to welcome these inspiring pro-life leaders at this year’s 52nd March for Life,” stated March for Life President Jeane Mancini in a Jan. 9 press release. “For the past 52 years, the March for Life has powerfully witnessed to the tragedy of abortion, while calling for stronger protections for women and the unborn.”
The 52nd annual March for Life will take place more than two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Though Roe’s overturning caused a number of states to enact pro-life laws, some states, such as New Mexico and Oregon, still permit abortion even up to the ninth month of pregnancy. The March for Life website states that it continues to hold the annual event not only to alter federal and state-level laws, but to make abortion unthinkable.
The theme of the 2025 March for Life is “Life: Why We March.” Mancini said that this year’s theme “reminds us of the basic truth that every life has inherent human dignity from the start.”
The March for Life will begin with a rally near the grounds of the Washington Monument at noon on Jan. 24, according to the March for Life website. The route of the march is nearly two miles long and will begin at the National Mall and conclude at the U.S. Capitol Building.
