The anti-abortion movement is well-funded, organized, and effective. Over the past three years, it has helped pass 230 laws aimed at limiting abortion. But it’s also mostly faceless.
While there are prominent members of the movement — from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) to March for Life's president Jeanne Monahan-Mancini — there is no single person who represents the political force.
So on January 22, when hundreds of thousands of protesters descended on Washington for the annual March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Vox went to meet the protesters and see who comes to protest and why.
The answers varied. Some protesters see the pro-life movement as a religious stand; others see it as the cause of the millennial generation. And while they all shared common themes in their motivation — they see abortion as a moral issue — it was interesting to hear the nuances in their reasons.
Here are some of the individuals who make up the movement and why they march.
"I march because I do feel strongly about defending human life. You know why else? I like to be around young people ... We’ve been at this for 42 years now. We’re in this for the long run."
-Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Kentucky, who was ordained the year before the Roeruling.
"I’m proud to represent the nearly 400 maternity homes in this nation ... We exist to help women in desperate need — women who have low self-esteem, who have lost hope."
-Kathleen Wilson, Virginia, founder of Mary's Shelter. Mary's Shelter is a chain of maternity homes that accounts for four of the nearly 400 shelters in the US. These homes, typically run by abortion opponents, house pregnant women and equip them with the supplies they'll need once their children are born.
"I’m here to support the unborn, so that we return from a culture of death to a culture of life. When you’re open to life, that’s when things will turn better."
-Pastor Richard Anger (right), Massachusetts, took an 8-hour bus ride with members of his congregation.
"We are the pro-life generation. It’s our job to protect our brothers and sisters in the womb, and protect their right to life ... One's value is not determined by size or age."
-Julia Johnson, 18, student speaker at the rally, drove 24 hours with most her class from Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota. Though there did appear to be a large number of young people at the march, Pew Research Center finds that 56 percent of millennials think that abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
"[The march] makes a statement. That's the point. How can you ignore something like this? You can’t."
-Chris Robey, Washington, DC, has been coming to the March for nearly 20 years straight.
"[The march] matters to us. It matters to travel. It matters to support each other."
-Frank Capisciolto, 36, flew in from Canada.
"I hope that these youth keep this movement going when they go to college, and not be intimidated by their beliefs. I work at a university and this is a very hard belief to stand by at a university."
-Tricia Kent (center), North Carolina, started going to the march in the '70s.
"My mother really believed in abortion. She’s about to turn 90, and her one regret is that she didn’t have more children ... My son's girlfriend got pregnant and had an abortion. And she grieved over that. She killed herself ... My daughter got pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. But she didn't, and now we have a beautiful 16-month-old granddaughter."
-Deb, from Pittsburgh, attended the march with her husband and first came 10 years ago.
"I have a 16-year-old grandson whose parents were told he’d have half a heart. You can’t say someone deserves to be destroyed in the womb. And he’s so good-looking now ... We go with love to save women from destroying their bodies and to save the babies from death."
-Helen "Sunny" Turner, Pennsylvania. For 16 years, she has stood outside abortion clinics and tried to speak with women going in about options other than abortion.
"Some people think we’re just there, quote, to save babies. That we're fetus-lovers ... But we’re there to pour love and help and support into any person who comes to us."
-Peggy Hartshorn, Columbus, Ohio, president of Heartbeat International. Heartbeat International is an association of pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services. Pregnancy help centers point women to options other than abortion, and may provide financial assistance to women in need or referrals to adoption agencies.
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