Recap: March for Life 2026

Every year, thousands of pro-lifers gather at the Capitol for the March for Life. What results is basically a week-long national pro-life reunion, with lots of opportunities for networking and collaboration.

In years past I’ve represented Secular Pro-Life by myself, but now that Herb Geraghty is on SPL’s team, we were able to cover twice as much ground. We intentionally avoided going to the same events, as that would be redundant. Instead we split the list, and between the two of us, we attended over a dozen events and connected with all types of people working in the pro-life movement: media, doctors, attorneys, pro-life leaders, and students.

I could write a small novel of all the conversations we had, friendships we strengthened, and collaborations we launched. Here’s the top line:

Connecting with media

The March for Life is a great opportunity to get some key Secular Pro-Life messages to more people. Specifically:

1. You don’t have to be religious to be pro-life.
2. We appreciate our non-traditional pro-lifers who are ambassadors to a broader culture.
3. We want to decrease tribalism and increase working together across many identities to fight abortion.

At the March for Life rally, Herb gave many on-camera interviews repping SPL. He also got to stand on the MFL stage, showing attendees (and the thousands of virtual viewers) that there’s room in the pro-life movement for all types.

Meanwhile I went to the Supreme Court ahead of the March, where I got to talk uninterrupted to Mark Irons from EWTN. See the interview at 4h 37m 30s (time stamped here):

Connecting with doctors

My first evening in DC I enjoyed dinner with Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). We strategized about SPL-AAPLOG projects, especially my upcoming keynote presentation at their conference (February 28th in Seattle!) In prep for that, SPL recently launched our survey of pro-life medical professionals. If that’s you, you should go take it.

The next day Herb and I both attended the Pro-Life Advocates Conference, an all-day event where subject matter experts give TED-style talks about different areas of pro-life work. I was emcee for the morning sessions, and in the afternoon Herb was one of the experts!

As emcee I got to speak to and introduce:

• Dr. Joseph Bruchalski, OBGYN
• Dr. Ingrid Skop, OBGYN
• Dr. Marguerite Duane, family physician
• Dr. Joseph Davis, reproductive endocrinologist

At SPL we maintain close ties with medical experts, who inform our work analyzing effects of abortion laws (many examples here). We also work to amplify their voices as they fight to build a medical industry that recognizes both mother and child as patients.

Connecting with attorneys

Herb attended a networking event hosted by Thomas More Society, connecting with leaders who work on abortion-related litigation and policy. I spoke with individual attorneys at events such as an open house hosted by Susan B. Anthony List and the Pro-life Advocates Conference, getting a better idea for the projects they’re prioritizing in 2026.

These legal connections are especially important because SPL is getting a lot more involved in ballot initiatives this year. In particular Herb, who lives on the East Coast, is connecting with Virginia-based activists as they prepare to fight Virginia’s expansion of abortion into the third trimester (elective abortion is already legal in Virginia through 6 months of pregnancy). Meanwhile I’m talking more with Missouri-based groups as they prep to defend an amendment which would restrict most elective abortions in the state.

Connecting with pro-life leaders

Over the entire trip, Herb and I were able to have dedicated conversations specifically with Executive Directors and CEOs of major pro-life organizations, including (but not limited to):

• AAPLOG
• Abortion Survivors Network
• California Family Council
• Let Them Live
• Life Advancement Group
• Feminists Choosing Life of New York
• Life Leadership Conference
• Massachusetts Citizens for Life
• Men For Life
• New Wave Feminists
• Pro-Life Advocacy Network
• Pro-Life San Francisco
• Protect Life Michigan
• Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising
• Rainbow Pro-Life Alliance
• Rehumanize International
• Students for Life of America
• Susan B. Anthony List
• Vitae Foundation, and
• leaders of Right to Life affiliates from across the country

Part of SPL’s mission is coalition building. A divided movement is inefficient, redundant, and counterproductive. We don’t have resources to waste. So at SPL we get to know as many leaders as possible, and develop good working relationships (and usually also friendships) with them. Then we actively seek opportunities to serve as a bridge between traditional and non-traditional pro-lifers, and between larger institutional organizations and grassroots activist groups. Events like the March for Life help us make a lot of progress toward a more coordinated movement.

Connecting with students

SPL specializes in anti-abortion messaging to reach broad audiences, including people who aren’t necessarily particularly politically conservative or devoutly Christian. Younger generations are disproportionately likely to fall into those categories, and Herb and I spoke to students at many events, especially the conferences (Pro-Life Advocates Conference, National Pro-Life Summit).

We also had students come find us at events we hosted. My favorite example is Melissa, a college student from southwestern Virginia. She learned through social media that we were co-hosting the Alt Pro-Life Meetup. A group of students from her college traveled to DC for the March for Life by bus, but to join she would have to sign a form promising to stay together for the entire trip. That meant Melissa wouldn’t be able to go to our meetup and meet in person.

So instead, she drove the roughly three hours each way on her own, in a single day, so she could spend time with us. She joined the meetup, and stayed in town for Alt Pro-Life Karaoke that night, and we chanted, marched, danced, and sang as a diverse group of pro-lifers welcoming everyone. Melissa is now buds with us, and ready to become an SPL volunteer.

People like Melissa make up the emotional core of SPL. It means everything to us to find the alienated pro-lifers who don’t see themselves in the more traditional crowd but still want to get involved. We give them space and connection, and they give us energy and joy, and we’re all more ready to work because of it.

You connect us to all these groups.

We were in DC from Wednesday through Saturday. Two people there for four days each cost a total of $2,364. That investment paid for flights, hotels, meals, ground transportation, and some printing costs, all of which allowed Herb and I to represent SPL during one of the most important weeks of the year for pro-life collaboration.

Supporters like you helped cover 57%, or $1,340, in advance, leaving $1,024 left to be covered.

We show up where the movement is gathering to reduce fragmentation, bridge divides, and connect alienated pro-lifers to stay engaged. If you believe in this kind of work, help fund it today.

Thanks for standing with us and making this work possible.

Monica