Every year on January 22, pro-life supporters gather at the Mall in Washington D.C. to attend the March for Life. Since 1974, the National Right to Life Committee has been behind the march, which was established to remind politicians and America that a right to life is important and the issue will never be forgotten. The National Pro-Life March may be the biggest march; however, there are other smaller marches that take place across the country on the same day. A rally beforehand with music and student and representative speakers is organized by the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. During the three hour rally, there is a Mass led by Cardinal Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington D.C., and 100 other priests from across the nation. The priests and bishops lead the young people in prayer together before marching down Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue, passing the Supreme Court building. In total, the march is about a mile and a half long. Each year, Padua’s Campus Minister, Mrs. Vavala, takes around 30 students to D.C. to attend the march with four or five other teachers. These students join the other 40,000 marchers from across the country. This year, unfortunately, the harsh weather conditions prevented Padua from attending the march.

Pro-life does not stop at abortion. There are many more aspects in regards to pro-life, this includes pre-birth through the trajectory of life to natural death, whether a person is an immigrant, poor, or in prison. Mrs. Vavala says that “unborn children are human beings and we have a responsibility to protect them and say that they are important, but we also have a responsibility to protect other human beings whose lives are at risk and sometimes those people aren’t as innocent, but they still deserve dignity.”