Champions for Life: More than 1,000 Liberty students support the unborn at National March for Life

Liberty University represented the largest single group at the 53rd annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, with more than 1,000 students marching in support of the unborn.

As the world’s largest pro-life gathering, the National March for Life draws hundreds of thousands of participants each year from across the country. Since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide, the National March for Life has been a defining event within the pro-life movement every January. Liberty has participated in the demonstration for decades.

The students left campus early Friday morning in a caravan of 20 buses. The trip was sponsored by the university’s Standing for Freedom Center.

Before the march, students gathered outside Union Station to pray over the demonstration, the country, mothers in crisis, lawmakers, and for babies in the womb. The prayer was led by Standing for Freedom Center Executive Director Ryan Helfenbein, United States Representative for Virginia’s 5th congressional district John McGuire; and pro-life nonprofit Red Rose Resistance founder Seth Gruber.

“The ultimate test of a moral society is how it treats its children,” Gruber told the students. “So, praise God that Roe v. Wade is overturned, but this has unfortunately been the beginning of the pro-life movement — not the end of it. Because one battlefront has turned into 50 battlefronts, and now this is being fought at the state level. Until the church wakes up, this is not going away. If Jesus could change the world with 12 people, I think He could change America with 1,000 Gen Z (students) from Liberty University.”

“Abortion has not ended, and so we will not rest,” Helfenbein added. “We are praying for the day that we no longer have to march for life. We know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. We know that we are a forgiven people bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. … And we also march to recognize that we are not alone in this movement. We must stand together in solidarity.”

Students then joined all the National March for Life participants near the Washington Monument for a pre-march rally, where they heard from Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and other prominent pro-life magistrates and influencers.

The roughly one-hour march began between the National Mall and the National Museum of Natural History. About 150,000 demonstrators walked past the U.S. Capitol and the United States Botanical Gardens Conservatory on Independence Avenue before turning left on First Street, walking past the Library of Congress, and finishing outside the Supreme Court building.

“Every year, at Liberty, I make it a point to attend the March for Life,” said sophomore politics and policy student Josie Huyard, who serves as student president of the Standing for Freedom Center’s Freedom Center Society. She led the entire group of students in prayer following remarks from Gruber and Helfenbein. “I have now gone twice, and each time reminds me how blessed I am to attend a university willing to send students at no cost. Seeing over 1,000 college students marching together today for life was powerful and honestly inspiring.”

Liberty University’s involvement in the National March for Life reflects its firm dedication to defending life — from birth until natural death — while also supporting mothers in crisis.

In response to Roe v. Wade in 1973, pro-life advocates across the country, including Liberty’s founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, took a firm stance and never surrendered the mission. Nearly 50 years later, Roe v. Wade was overturned through the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, which returned the abortion debate to the states. Even with Roe v. Wade gone, the battle for the pro-life cause continues forward as abortion remains legal in most states and the abortion pill becomes more prevalent.

“It’s important for Liberty to continue the pro-life mission in a post-Roe era because abortion is not gone completely, and it is still very much accepted all over the country,” said senior pre-law student Ellie Shoemaker. “And as Champions for Christ, we cannot truly be champions if we do not protect the most vulnerable. … We cannot hold to the idea that our rights are endowed to us by our Creator if we cannot acknowledge that they were given to us at the moment of conception. So, Liberty needs to be in the middle of this movement because it’s not just a policy issue, it’s a spiritual fight.”

She said it was inspiring “to see thousands of people from different walks of life and different denominations come together to agree on an undeniable truth — that children in the womb have a right to life.” She is grateful to Liberty for offering students the opportunity and added that it was “a good chance to reflect and ask myself if there’s more I can be doing for the pro-life mission.”

For senior politics and policy student Isaiah Varella, student body vice president, Friday marked his third trip to the National March for Life.

“Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, we have seen in America that abortion has increased and not decreased,” he said. “This shows that the pro-life movement is needed more than ever, and the voice of the American people must be heard to show our government what we truly care about. Some politicians do not see this topic as a pressing issue, and for that reason, I continue showing up to the March for Life so that our government sees that we care about life, and our country sees that people care about protecting the unborn.”

The Standing for Freedom Center has sponsored student bus trips to the National March for Life since 2020, echoing Liberty’s continued commitment to the biblical values of the sanctity of life. The center exists to uphold the Christian faith and defend America’s Constitution by honoring human dignity, individual liberty, limited government, and free markets. For more information, visit Standingforfreedom.com.