Vice President J.D. Vance said Friday that it is “a joy and a blessing to fight for the unborn” as he addressed pro-life activists at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
“We march to live out the sacred truth that every child is a miracle and a gift from God,” Vance told the crowd in his first public appearance since he was born. sworn in as vice president earlier this week.
Vance praised the demonstrators who braved the bitter cold to be there, noting that Monday’s inauguration had to be moved indoors due to the weather.
“But guys – and it’s bitterly cold today – you’re standing out here in a particularly frigid January, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a cheerful crowd here, especially at this time of year,” said he. “The excitement, passion and unwavering belief clearly felt by everyone here on the National Mall moves me deeply and means more to President Trump and me than I could ever say.”
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He added that watching their three young children “grow, learn and become who they are today has been the “greatest blessing” of his and his wife Usha’s lives.
“Every parent here knows that feeling, that awe for a newborn child. It is our responsibility to nurture and protect it,” he added.
Vance also spoke about returning the focus on the family to the center of American life, saying the “measure of national success” is “whether people feel they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country. “
The vice president pledged that the federal government will not “lead FBI raids” on pro-lifers’ homes, mentioning Mark Houck, a pro-life activist whose home was raided.
Vance also said the era of putting pro-lifers in jail is over, citing President Trump’s decision to do so excuse several activists.
“I want more babies in the United States of America. I want more happy children in our country, and I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them,” Vance said.
People participating in the annual March for Life will walk from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on Friday (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
However, he admitted that young couples face challenges when having children and called on the government to take action to “make it easier to start a family.”
Before Vance’s speech, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told the crowd: “Republicans in the House and Senate are committed to protecting innocent lives.”
“Two decades before I was elected to Congress, I practiced constitutional law and litigated cases defending our fundamental freedoms, such as religious liberty and the sanctity of human life. And now, in this role that I have as speaker of the House, I’m working to defend those freedoms in a different way,” Johnson said.
“And the good news is that there are many leaders here in Congress, just like those behind us, who are committed to doing the same.
“This new White House has already shown its resolve,” Johnson added. “In one of his first official acts, President Trump just released and pardoned nearly two dozen wrongfully imprisoned pro-life activists.”
The March for Life crowd listens to Vice President JD Vance’s speech during Friday’s rally in Washington, DC (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called on event attendees to urge their elected officials to “show courage in defense of the unborn.”
“That’s what we need from the people we elect to office. The sanctity of life does not depend on the results of polls. It does not depend on which way the wind blows,” DeSantis said.
“It is an enduring truth, and represents the foundation of our society, that in our original founding document, which we will celebrate next year, the Declaration of Independence, declared that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and we are created equal by endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, beginning with the right to life itself.
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Also present at the event were Senators John Thune of South Dakota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Katie Britt of Alabama, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota, Andy Harris of Maryland, Bob Latta of Ohio, John McGuire of Virginia, Bob Onder of Missouri, Chris Smith of New Jersey and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, all Republicans.
