Life

‘Young Voices Are Mighty:’ March For Life Attendees Say It’s Time To Give The Movement To The Next Generation

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• Attendees of the 2023 annual March for Life told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they are looking forward to the next phase of the pro-life movement and are excited to hand the reigns to the next generation. 
• A recent poll from Susan b. Anthony found that Generation Z and Millennials were more likely to say they were pro-life after learning about the details surrounding the issue of abortion. 
• “If you come to this March for Life there is nowhere even right now we could easily count 500 people just standing around us that are all under the age of 25, probably even under the age of 20, there is so much momentum and these young voices are mighty,” Bethany Bomberger said.

Thousands of people came to attend the annual March for Life Friday to celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, and many are looking forward to handing the torch to the post-Roe generation, according to some of the attendees that spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The 2023 March for Life in Washington, D.C., celebrated its 50th anniversary and out of the thousands of Americans that attended, a large portion were young people. Some of the marchers spoke with the DCNF about their excitement for the future of the movement and expressed a desire to see the younger generations take the torch and run with it.

“I love coming out here and representing my part of the generation, really stepping out, and it’s really a blessing to be a part of this movement,” Radience Bomberger, an attendee, told the DCNF.

Radiance and her parents, Ryan and Bethany, who also run the Radiance Foundation, a nonprofit focused on showing “that every human life has God-given purpose,” spoke with the DCNF about why the March for Life meant so much to them and their confidence in the future generations.

Bethany Bomberger pointed out how grateful she was for the older generations that had stood fast for pro-life issues and said that the foundation was ready to be built on by the new pro-life movement.

“If you come to this March for Life, we could easily count 500 people just standing around us that are all under the age of 25, probably even under the age of 20, there is so much momentum and these young voices are mighty,” Bomberger said.

A recent poll from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America showed that Generation Z and Millennials often say they are pro-choice until they understand the issues surrounding abortion. In the poll, 52% of Americans from 18-41 initially stated that they were pro-choice and only 22% self-identified as pro-life, but after learning about chemical abortions, taxpayer abortions and abortion up to the moment of birth, 15% of those who formerly identified as pro-choice switched to being pro-life.

Another attendee, Johnathan, told the DCNF that he first came to the march when he was 12 and at 25 he was so happy to see the “fruit of our work over the years.” Two young women, Nina and Monica, said that education on the issue was often the only real barrier between their generation and being pro-life.

“I think a lot of people are just saying they are pro-choice because that is the least likely to get you canceled, ” Monica explained. “People are just trying not to force their beliefs on anyone, but as soon as they start looking at the choices that go into it … [they] realized it’s not as good as it seems.”

Many also noted the importance of young men becoming involved with the pro-life movement. Ryan Bomberger said that encouraging young men to “step up” and get involved in pro-life issues is a passion of his and that their role in the fight to end abortion is just as significant as women’s.

“I’m really passionate about encouraging young men to step up,” Bomberger told the DCNF. “I mean, they are constantly told that if they are pro-life to be silent, but the pro-abortion guys, they’re allowed to speak all they want, so I encourage guys don’t ever be silent … its everyone’s issue.”

Joseph echoed Bomberger and explained that men’s involvement was “extremely important” to the future of the movement.

“Men are sort of the silent partner in all this,” Joseph said. “The voice of men, and being strong men in our culture is a very important part of the pro-life movement, and the importance of fatherhood in our culture is emphasized by men being here and being present.”

“I think their role is super important because, at the end of the day, they are the father of that baby,” Nina concluded. “The first thing that should happen in this wave of pro-life, and to stop people from having abortions, is to support those women, and the first person who should do that is the father of the child.”