>> good afternoon. a very warm welcome to everyone here. a big thank you for your fantastic performance. i am jeanne mancini and i am honored to serve as president of the march for life. the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. [applause] we are going to begin by saying the pledge of allegiance which is going to be led by the grand knight of the georgetown council of the knights of columbus. >> please face the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands. one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. [applause] >> ok. i am delighted to welcome angelica park, san antonio's outstanding teen 2018 who will lead us in the national anthem. >> [singing] oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ [applause] thank you, guys. god bless you all. jeanne: thank you, angelica. each year we are grateful for the collaborative efforts in opening our rally in prayer. in continuing this tradition, i am happy to welcome the bishop of the greek orthodox archdiocese of america. the archbishop of kansas city, headed of the united states catholic conference pro-life. [applause] >> dear brothers and sisters, year after year we have come together in this beautiful city of washington, d.c. surrounded by crowds who offer prayers and bear witness to the sanctity of life which was given to us by god of which we are to be good stewards. as christians, roman catholics, we believe that based on the revelation mentioned in the scripture are the examples and teachings of the states, our fathers and mothers in the faith, we join not to condemn but to encourage, not to attack, but to inspire. to promote the sanctity of life. the dignity of unborn children and all of human life. the sanctity of life is not only a social issue, it is a spiritual issue that must be addressed constantly and clearly because it touches the very fabric of humanity and salvation. in connection with a great sacrifice of our source of life itself. our lord and savior, jesus christ on the cross. led astray, inspired by these words. in a gesture of remembrance of the law, let us say, our lord, who sanctifies those who put their trust in you, save your people. protect the whole body of your church. sanctify those who allow the beauty of your creation. glorify them by your divine power and forsake us not who have set our hope in you. remember, lord, those that live in chastity and governance in a synthesis of an holiness of light. remember, lord, this country, the president, and all those in public service who you have allowed to govern on earth. speak to their hearts good things concerning your church and all your people through your faith the conduct of the duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness. sustain the good and their goodness. remember, lord, the people here presented. have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of your mercy. fill the treasurers with every good thing. reserved emeritus in peace and harmony. protect the unborn. nurture the infants. instruct the youth. give courage to the fainthearted. reunite those separated. sail with those who travel. defend the widows. protect the orphans. heal the sick. remember, lord, those in exile and those in every kind of affliction, necessity, or distress. those who love us and those who hate us. remember, lord our god, your people and for your rich mercy upon them rather than they petition for salvation. remember, oh god, all those we have not remembered. you know the name and age of each. even from their mother's womb. for you are the helper of the helpless. the hope of the hopeless. the savior of the afflicted. be all things to all. you who know each person, his request, his household, and his need. deliver this country, city, and county. every city and town from famine, disease, earthquake, flood, fire, war, invasion of foreign enemies and civil war. for every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from you, the father of light. to you, we give glory, thanksgiving, and worship to the father and to the son into the holy spirit now and forever and unto the ages of ages, amen. >> thank you so much. thank you, your grace. i am very happy to introduce to you a video from some people who are very important to the march of life. the vice president and ms. pence. they are overseas. they wanted to send you a special message. >> hello, march for life. jeanne, members of the house and senate, state leaders, and especially, all of the wonderful people of this pro-life generation, i am vice president mike pence. >> i am sharon pence. we are pro-life. we want to thank you for making the journey to our nation's capital for the largest pro-life gathering in the united states of america. the 47th annual march for life. our family has made it a priority to attend the march for life. >> we wish we could be with you today. right now, we are in rome at the vatican representing the united states of america. in fact, we just left a meeting with pope francis. during our conversation, i thanked him for all that he and catholic americans have done to defend the sanctity of human life throughout the history of this movement. to all the proud catholics who i know are filling our national mall today, proudly carrying banners all across this country. >> and all the people of faith who are marching, we want to thank you for your witness. thank you for your compassion. and thank you for standing for life. your prayers have sustained this important movement for nearly 50 years. we cannot be more proud to be on this journey with you. >> in just a few moments, you are going to hear from the first president to ever address the march for life in person. president donald trump. i could not be more proud. to serve as vice president to the most pro-life president in american history. from reinstating the mexico city policy, defunding planned parenthood to appointing principled conservative judges, the results speak for themselves. this movement has been championed in president donald trump and you always will. even as our nation marks another sad anniversary, today is also a day of progress and a day of celebration. because, thanks for your support, and thanks to the leadership of president trump, life is winning in america again. >> life is winning through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at care centers across the country. and life is winning through the generosity of millions of families who open their hearts and their homes to children in need. and life is winning because of the witness of hundreds of thousands of americans from every background who braved the cold to march for life. >> keep standing strong and stand with that love and compassion that has always defined this movement for life. and know that this president and this administration will stand with you every day until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of american law. so, from our small family to yours, thank you for standing for life. [applause] ♪ >> >>[singing] now you've got some diamonds and you will have some others but you'd better watch your step, girl or start living with your mother so don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> the 47th march for life a historic first. in just a few minutes, we will hear from the 45th president of the united states of america. the first president to join the march for life, president donald trump. [applause] mr. president, we are happy to welcome you here. you will see that our marchers are full of passion and full of love and they are young. [applause] we are america's future. we want to make abortion unthinkable and we are grateful that you are pro-life. on behalf of our marchers, mr. president, i would like to thank you for your stand and your record. [applause] mr. president, the march for life has come a long way. this huge gathering started around a kitchen table in 1974. since then, millions of americans have collectively stood up and stepped forward for life. this is the largest annual human rights demonstration in the entire world and now you are part of it. [applause] every year, despite blizzards or subzero temperatures, the marchers get bigger and younger. hundreds of thousands of pro-life americans travel to washington for this peaceful, enthusiastic, and loving witness to the inherent dignity of the human person. we are pro-life and we are pro-woman. [applause] your presence here today, mr. president, makes a powerful statement. you are the leader of the free world and you stand for life. thank you for being here. thank you for everything you have done for life. and thank you for everything you will be doing for life in the years ahead. [applause] please join me in giving a warm welcome to the president of the united states of america, president donald trump. [applause] a™ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ pres. trump: thank you very much and thank you, jeanne. it is my honor to be the first president in history to attend the march for life. [applause] we are here for a very simple reason. to defend the right of every child born and unborn. to fulfill their god-given potential. [applause] for 47 years. as president of the united states, i am proud to stand with you. [applause] i want to welcome tens of thousands. this is a tremendous turnout. tens of thousands of high school and college students who took a long bus ride to be here in our nation's capital. to make you feel even better, there are tens of thousands of people outside that we pass on the way in. if anybody would like to give up their spot, we can work it out. we have a tremendous group of people outside. thousands and thousands wanted to get in. this is a great success. [applause] young people are the heart of the march for life. it is your generation that is making america the profamily, pro-life nation. [applause] the life movement is led by strong women, amazing faith leaders, and students who carry on the legacy of pioneers before us who fought to raise the conscious of our nation and uphold the rights of our citizens. mothers with care and compassion. you are empowered by prayer and motivated by unselfish love. you are grateful and we are so grateful. these are incredible people. to be joined by secretary alex cesar and kellyanne conway. [applause] and thanks also to senators mike lee and james lankford who are here. thank you, fellas. and representative steve scalise. chris smith. ralph abraham. warren davidson. bob latta. lloyd smucker. brian fitzpatrick and brad wenstrup. thank you all. i have to say, we have many more politicians in the audience. if you don't mind, i will not introduce them all. all of us here understand an eternal truth. every child is a precious and sacred gift from god. [applause] together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. [applause] when we see the image of a baby in the womb, we witness the majesty of god's creation. [applause] when we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. when we watch a child grow, we see the splendor, that radiates from each human soul. one life changes the world. i can tell you, i send love and i send great love. from the first day in office, i have taken action to protect america's families and to protect the unborn. [applause] during my first week in office, i reinstated and expanded the mexico city policy and we issued a landmark pro-life to govern the use of title x taxpayer funding. i notified congress that i would veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policy, that encourages the destruction of human life. [applause] at the united nations, i made clear that global bureaucrats have no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that protect innocent life. [applause] unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the white house. [applause] as the bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made. [applause] we have taken decisive action to protect the religious liberty, so important, religious liberty has been under attack all over the world and frankly, strongly attacked in our nation. you see it better than anyone. we are stopping it. we are taking care of doctors, nurses, teachers, and groups like the little sisters of the poor. [applause] we are preserving faith-based adoption and to uphold our founding documents, we have appointed federal judges who apply the constitution as written, including two phenomenal supreme court justices. neil gorsuch and brett kavanaugh. [applause] we are protecting pro-life students's rights to free speech on college campuses. and if universities want federal tax payer dollars, then they must uphold your first amendment right, speak your mind. and if they don't, they pay a very big financial penalty which they will not be willing to pay. [applause] sadly, the far-left is working to erase our god-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, and silence americans who believe in the sanctity of life. they are coming after me because i am fighting for you and we are fighting for those who have no voice. and we will win because we know how to win. [applause] we all know how to win. we all know how to win. we have been winning for a long time. we are the voice for the voiceless. and it comes to abortion, and you know this, you have seen what has happened. democrats have embraced the most radical and extreme positions taken and seen in this country for years and decades. and you can even say, for centuries. nearly every top democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. last year, lawmakers in new york cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's room womb right up until delivery. then, we had the case of the democratic governor in the state of virginia, the commonwealth of virginia. and we love the commonwealth of virginia but a lot is going on in virginia. what is going on? the governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. you remember that. senate democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. that is why i call on congress, two of our great senators here, so many of our congressmen here. i call upon them to defend the dignity of life and to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in their mother's womb. [applause] this year, the march for life is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment which forever enshrined women's right to vote in the united states and given by the united states constitution. such a big event. today, millions of extraordinary women across america are using the power of their votes to fight for the right and all of their rights as given in the declaration of independence, the right to life. [applause] to all the women here today, your devotion and your leadership uplifts our entire nation and we thank you for that. the tens of thousands of americans gathered today not only stand for life, it is really here that they stand for it so proudly together. i want to thank everybody for that. you stand for life. each and every day. you provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care to the women that you serve. you find in loving families for children in need of a forever home. you host baby showers for expecting moms. you make it your life's mission to help spread god's grace. and to all the moms here today, we celebrate you. and we declare that mothers are heroes. [applause] your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history. we cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. the dreams they will imagine. the masterpieces they will create. the discoveries they will make. but we know this. every life brings love into this world. every child brings joy to a family. every person is worth protecting. and above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holey image of almighty god. [applause] together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. we will set free the dreams of our people. and with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will, from the beauty, talent, purpose, ability, and grace of every american child. i want to thank you. this is a very special moment. it is so great to represent you. i love you all. [applause] and i say with a true passion, thank you, god bless you, and god bless america. thank you all. thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ jeanne: wow. that just happened. [applause] i have to say that that was a tough act to follow. and now i'm going to make my remarks to you. i will make it quick because i don't think anything will surpass those remarks that we just heard from. every year presents different urgent and important challenges and a great battle of our time. the fight to end abortion. this year is no exception. it is marked by profound confusion about what it means to be pro-woman. abortion. ending the life of an innocent human being is promoted as essential to women's freedom, empowerment, and progress. we know this message about women and abortion is deceptive and hurtful. mother teresa said it best. abortion is profoundly anti-woman. three quarters of its victims are women. half of the babies and all of the mothers. inspired by these needs, march for life aims to change hearts and minds to make abortion unthinkable. pro-life is pro-woman. in the year ahead, as you heard from the president, we celebrate the centennial of the 19th amendment which established a woman's right to vote. the 100th anniversary of the amendment where we remember and honor the early suffragists. those courageous early female leaders who recognize the inherent dignity of women and the unborn. these great women knew that preachers, mother and babies, were not at odds with each other. alex paul referred to abortion as the ultimate exploitation of women. we recognize that a woman's capacity to have a child is amazing. it is inherent to who she is as a person. it is not a liability. it is a gift. it is a beautiful thing. [applause] our hope and our prayer is that this year's theme will be a healing remedy for the wounding messages about what it means to be a woman coming from the pro-abortion industry and beyond. in order for it to be a healing remedy, we need your help. i have a question. how many of you here today are looking for a way to make a real difference for the pro-life cause for the vulnerable unborn? [applause] ok, that was not very loud. how many of you want to help women and men facing unexpected pregnancy? [applause] that's a little better. will you help to make abortion unthinkable? [applause] let me say that again. will you help to make abortion unthinkable? [applause] this year, like never before, we need you to do that. we need you to come together and be a unified voice for life. imagine if everyone here and everyone watching on tv could send a message to their lawmakers urging them to support pro-life legislation like the born alive abortion survivors act which simply gives babies who survive a botched abortion health services. the other side says there are no such people. guess what, you will hear from two of them in just a few minutes. [applause] if we all join together and send this to our members of congress and our state legislators, do you think they would hear us? do you think they'd hear us? [applause] i can't really hear you. do you think they'd hear us? [applause] well, we think so too. so we are going to do it right now. here is what i want you to do. take out your phone. everybody take out your phones right now. open up your text messages. i want to see you hold your phones up. every single one of you. i'm going to call you out if you are not holding up your phone. i see you all out there. hold up your phone. every single one of you. you are not holding up your phone, there. come on. hold up your phone. ok, bill. go ahead and take them out. open up your text messages. here is what i want you to do. text "march." m-a-r-c-h. to the number 73075. let me say it again. text m-a-r-c-h to 73075. you are answering the call to make a difference for the pro-life cause. guys, we have many wonderful speakers coming up. first, before we get to the next speakers, want to share with you our beautiful video to match this year's eme, pro-life is pro-woman life empowerment. >> i love being a woman. when i say i love being a woman, i mean i love all of it. i love all that that means. my mind, my lips, my soul, my hips. my body, my fertility. inner and outer beauty. we women are strong, compassionate, and valuable. smart, caring, nurturing. we are lawyers, mothers, politicians, and teachers. doctors, daughters, wives, sisters, we are leaders. let us always keep remembrance, the bravery. in 1920, they got the vote but it was the beginning. they called abortion, and i quote, the ultimate exploitation of women. they knew abortion also harms us as women. come 2020, the number of killed females has reached 30 million. it should be no surprise that abortion targets the marginalized. let's go back in time and find another parallel. the supreme court case that made abortion legal in all states. jane roe was a cover name. his real name was mccorvey. she said she firmly believed the entire abortion industry is based on a lie. she spent the rest of her life trying to undo the law. the woman who fought for abortion in the first place. by the time she realized the lie, they closed the case. we will never have equality until we realized that abortion as a solution is the greatest lie. when we suffer, it should never be the cost that we terminate a life. instead of hurting mothers most vulnerable, why not stand with them? the power we have now and the rights that were afforded them. because of great women rising up before us. we will not be silenced and you cannot ignore us. it is time to give voice to the voiceless. [applause] jeanne: now, i am joined by some of our pro-life legislate of legislative heroes on this stage. i would like to welcome to the stage a strong pro-life advocate serving the people of the first congressional district of louisiana and colleagues. congressman steve scalise. rep. scalise: how are y'all doing? look at this beautiful sight. tens of thousands of people coming to washington to march for life. thank you for coming. what a special treat that was to have the most pro-life president, donald trump, making history by addressing this group? just think about this contrast. in 2013, barack obama became the first president to address planned parenthood's annual conference. today, donald trump became the first president to address the march for life. [applause] rep. scalise: don't tell me that elections do not have consequences. you know what is at stake. for all these young people, it is wonderful to see so many young people out here as part of this amendment. thank you for coming. if you are 18 or older, registered to vote. if you are almost 18, get ready because we need you in this fight. you are in this fight. thank you. i am so proud. i am also so proud to be from the great state of louisiana. go tigers. we are not just number one in football. we were just rated the number one most pro-life state. [applause] rep. scalise: and why? it is because we are not afraid to stand up for life. marching for life is not a revolutionary idea. when you think about those three inalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is no coincidence that they put the first among those to be the right for life. but a few years ago, president trump alluded to this. we started to hear stories. out of new york. the governor of virginia talking about how they in their states want to make it legal to kill a baby after it is born alive outside of the womb. they think they can call that abortion. we know what it is. it is murder. to kill a baby born alive outside of the womb. in many states, is not illegal. that is why we are fighting to pass the born alive act. for those people that question whether or not this happens, i know later today you will hear from. i want to give a shout out to survivors of attempted abortion who are here to tell their story. you know god has a plan for you when you survive an attempted abortion. i know you are going to want to hear that story. god has a plan for all of you, as well. that is why you are here marching for life. my friend anne wagner filed a bill that makes it illegal anywhere in the country to kill a baby once it is born alive outside of the womb. we know that we need to protect life at every stage. we filed this bill. let me tell you what it does. it says anywhere in the country, even if a state has a law like new york, it is illegal to kill a baby born alive outside of the womb. our bill has been blocked from a vote on the house floor by speaker nancy pelosi. [crowd booing] scalise: i guess she does not have a lot of fans here. we have asked over 80 times to bring that bill to the floor and she blocked it every single time. special interest in the abortion industry are working with nancy pelosi who continues to block this from bringing it on the floor. i filed a discharge petition. this is a seldom used legibly of tool to go around speaker pelosi and force a vote on the born alive survivors act. [applause] rep. scalise: now it takes 218 signatures to get this bill to the floor. when we filed this petition, it set a record for the most signatures on the first day of a discharge in the history of congress was over 190 signatures. this should be a bipartisan issue. this should be an easy bill to get to the floor. every republican has signed that discharge with three democrats. we are at 204 signatures. we only have 14 to go. there are a lot of people out there who ran for office saying they would be pro-life. you are not pro-life if you do not sign the discharge petition. i have got something i want to ask each and everyone of you to do. when you leave here, please call your member of congress and you can see where they are. you can go to our website. you can see if your member of congress has signed the petition. if they are on it, please call and thank them. if they are not on that discharge petition, ask them why they are not. most of portly, encourage them to sign that discharge petition. we need a vote on the house floor. we will pass that bill if it comes up on the house floor. let me ask this, do you support the born alive act? [applause] rep. scalise: should we protect babies born outside the womb? [applause] rep. scalise: are we nancy pelosi stop us from getting a vote? let them hear it on the hill. go to the website. look up your member of congress. you can get directly engaged in this. this will make a difference. if we get 218, it will just pass your there are a lot of members of congress hiding behind speaker pelosi. we will not let that happen. let me tell you, what this represents is so important. to see this kind of showing on the floor. what we need to do to stand up for life does not end. in fact, we come here to stand up for life to send a message to everybody else. nobody said this is going to be easy. but you did not march here because this is easy. you marched here because the pro-life values that we stand for are the values that we represent and who we are as a country. this is what america is about. we stand for life. you marched here because you want to stand up for life. we are not just going to march. we are going to march and we are going to win this fight. thank you for coming. god bless you. god bless america and god bless this great pro-life movement to march for life. thank you. jeanne: thank you, mr. scalise. please welcome congressman chris smith of new jersey the cochair of the congressional pro-life caucus. rep. smith: thank you very much. on behalf of my wife and all of us, we are so prefer that you are here today because we march because we are pro-life and because we are pro-women. we marched today to defend the weakest and the most vulnerable. as you know, tragically, 60 infamous 1973 supreme court decision that eviscerated legal protections for unborn children, more than 61 million babies have been dismembered or chemically aborted. a death toll that equates with the entire population of italy. under president obama, abortion was aggressively promoted at home and overseas. even long-standing, bipartisan protections and laws were shamelessly not enforced. now, president is robustly enforcing americans' conscience laws. he just took action. the secretary was here to enforce protections towards california, where they are forcing health plans and all others to be complicit and pay for abortion. in just three years, several executive orders and actions have been promulgated by the trump administration, and the courts appear to be seriously trending in the right direction, and you have got to know, that is not by accident, it is by design. 180 seven judges picked by the president and ratified by the senate, and confirmed. my friends, just last month, several pro-abortion legislative assaults on life were stopped in congress by the skill, determination, your lobbying the house and senate, people like steve scalise who just spoke, kevin mccarthy, the minority leader, mitch mcconnell, the republican leadership tood firm that that would be no retreat when it comes to these long-standing laws and policies that have been put forward by the trump administration. we are making progress, i encourage you, be encouraged, be very encouraged. with the help of ultrasound imaging, we will tirelessly struggle to ensure that unborn children are no longer invisible, trivialized, mocked, dehumanized, and killed. above all, i want to thank each and every one of you for your presence. thank you for the leadership of the march for life. you know, it would be unimaginably worse without you. because of you, countless women and babies have been spared the violence of abortion. and today, live, love, and thrive. because of you many women who have had abortions know that there is only love, respect, and concern for them in our hearts, and a willingness to assist. reestablishing the rights to life, regardless of sex, age, disability, or condition of dependency is the human rights issue of our time. so, is facing god, indomitable hope, charity for all, we recommit to defend human life, no matter the sacrifice, no matter the cost. god bless you. [cheering] >> representative chris smith is the best. our next speaker is the president of the susan b anthony organization that has reached over 4.6 million voters in the u.s. talk about a true pro-life and pro-woman effort. please welcome my friend, marjorie. marjorie: thank you. my dear friends, we are living in a moment of greatest hope, and opportunity since roe v. wade. for countless little boys and little girls, just waiting to be born. it is a pivotal moment for the pro-life movement and this great nation. this year we will be celebrating the women and men who fought for the women's right to vote. the question is how do we use that power? what good or ill will we use the power, and what have we done with the power that we have? we mourn 47 years of abortion on demand under roe v. wade. over 60 million little girls and boys intended for this world with a purpose, untold suffering of their mothers, families, and communities. that is not how it works, women's movement. you cannot build rights on the broken bodies and rights of other human beings. [cheering] since 1992, my organization has proudly borne the name of susan b anthony. she and her compatriots understood something important, that the rights of women extend to the rights of their children, born and unborn. [cheering] written in the revolution, susan b anthony's newspaper that she published and funded was this, "the actual burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in the grave. but thrice guilty is the one who drove her to the dreadful deed." alice paul knew what we know, that unborn life must be conjoined with the rights of women, and that abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women. i would like for you to assess the beautiful spot on which you stand, every successful human rights movement in american history has found itself at a time such as this. we, like our civil rights friends and sisters, and activists before us will use the tools of democracy to right the worst wrongs that plague our society and form a more perfect union through the power of the pro-life movement. [cheering] in just 10 months, we will face the most consequential election of our lifetime for the cause of the unborn. what we do in those intervening months will determine whether generations of children will live or die. we have seen historic gains under this president, you heard what his heart and track record has been along with his senates. now is the time to go for the win. [cheering] it is time to roll back roe v. wade and put the will of the people into law, which means protecting the unborn in the law. [cheering] we know that victory is possible, but we also know that nothing is inevitable. so, no one can afford to sit on the sidelines during this coming election. people are asking, why is it that the pro-abortion women's march is shrinking as the power, optimism, and the youth of the march for life grows? i think we know why. you are the reason, you are the reason that this movement has grown. lasting power comes from the truth reflected in the hearts of the american people like you. now, let us go for the win, and let your pro-life voices be heard in november. thank you. [cheering] >> thank you so much. alright, one thing i want to say is that the march for life is nonpartisan, we are bipartisan. we seek to have people on both sides of the political aisle. our next speaker is one of these courageous pro-life democrat speakers. and -- legislators, and i am so excited to bring her to the stage. he loved her last year and you will be delighted to have her again this year. she authored a bill that became law in her state, louisiana, and in a little over a month it will be heard in the supreme court. [cheering] thank you for your courageous testimony senator jackson. these welcome katrina jackson. [cheering] sen. jackson: good afternoon. and those of you who were here last year, you know that we fight, so that every time you hear me say we fight you say, for life. i have kids from louisiana, i have my first lady from louisiana, and listen, we hope one day, just like louisiana, congress will have democrats and republicans as we fight. >> for life. sen. jackson: louisiana and this nation is fighting and unity for life, because it is so important to let people know everywhere that the fight for life does not have a partisan stance to it, that that we love babies, so every day that we get up, we fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: every day we pray -- >> for life. sen. jackson: every day that we talk to our friends, and families, we fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: because life is the most important thing. i tell people if you were born after 1973, after roe v. wade became law, someone shows you. so, because of that, because someone chose us, we fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: and we will never stop. in march of this year we will be at the supreme court, and we will fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: because it is the most important thing we can fight for in our own lives. i tell everyone that louisiana is the number one pro-life state, and you know why? because in louisiana, the majority of democrats elected our pro-lifers. [cheering] every day that i walk into the state capital, i am greeted by pro-lifers regardless of if they are black, white, republican, democrat, male, or female. because we know in unity we must fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: like we have never fought before, because this time, this decade will market the major fight for life. because, at this time, we are about to turn the situation around. i see the chains dropping off of roe v. wade and i see people in babies being born. i see a celebrated life like never before. this is a decade that we will fight -- >> for life. sen. jackson: thank you. [cheering] >> thank you representative jackson. our next speaker, another important visitor from louisiana has been serving alongside her husband, governor john bel edwards, since 2016. she is an outspoken advocate for children and the family and created campaigns to support children at all stages. please welcome to the stage, the first lady of louisiana,. donna: thank you so much. good afternoon. and thank you all for having me here today. i also wants to give a special shout out to everyone from the great state of louisiana here with us today. being here today is important to me and my husband, governor john bel edwards, who was sworn in for a second term as governor of louisiana, and we are proud. faith, our faith is the guiding source in both of our lives, and we are not shy about it. we rely on our faith daily to inform decisions that we make. we believe in the power of prayer, because we know firsthand that prayer changes things. so, as believers, we know that god does not conform to man's laws. and at the end of the day, it is up to each of us to pray, and to stand in the gaps in prayer for those who need our help and to see things change for the better. [cheering] so, understand my friends and the back cannot hear it. the bible teaches us that if we love the lord we will keep his commandments, and the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. in addition to being pro-life, let us also be pro-love. [cheering] because, it is what we are commanded to do. as christians, we are not called to judge one another. but to help the least among us, and matthew 25:40 tells us that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we have done for our heavenly father. that includes everyone, white, black, all people of color, democrats, republican, and independents. it is fitting that this year's march is being held in honor of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. the women who fought for that right new that they -- knew that they were not only writing for themselves, but future generations. giving voice to the voiceless. and, for those who would come after them, we are called to do the same. we know that when women succeed, children and families succeed. we know that when women succeed, communities succeed. when women succeed, our states will succeed. when women succeed, our nation will succeed. [cheering] that is why i stand with you today as this year's theme says. pro-life is pro-woman. ladies and gentlemen, life is precious in every stage, and should be respected and protect it. being pro-life means being for all life, from the first heartbeat to supporting programs that help mothers provide the necessities like shelter, and education. it is about giving and receiving love. this is pro-life. [cheering] there are many challenges in life, and no one is immune, which means that there are many opportunities for all of us to work together to remove the barriers that hold so many back, especially women. it is not about what we cannot do, it is about what we can do. we can empower women, we can respect and protect the lives of all children, born and unborn. the power of the righteous is powerful, and effective. we can, and will stand united for our children, and their future. lord, hear our prayer. god, thank you, and god bless you all. [cheering] >> thank you. next we welcome to the stage a beautiful young woman, fighting to build a culture of life in our country. sometimes those who are abortion proponents make this claim that i stated before that there is no such thing as an abortion survivor, someone who survives a botched abortion. claire's testimony is powerful and tells another story. internationally known pro-life speaker and soon-to-be author and mother, please welcome claire. [cheering] claire: hello washington, d.c. i am so excited to be here with you. my name is claire. i am a surviving twin of a botched dne dismemberment abortion. i found this out 10 years ago when i met my birth mother after thanking my birth mother for giving me my life. she broke down into tears at this moment. she described her abortion that successfully aborted my twin. the pain in her eyes is something that i will never forget. her abortion explained a lot of things for me. my physical complications because of my prematurity, and being a twin, a surviving twin. my curiosity and longing for another sibling, my deep appreciation for being wanted by my adopted parents who stand here with me today. [cheering] i used to think that the person who was affected by abortion would never be me. never be someone in my home, church, and community, and yet here i was looking my birth mother in her eye, finding out that i was not only affected, but i had survived one. my life was a miracle. i realized that there was a face, name, and story with the unborn child and the woman contemplating an abortion like my birth mother. when you look at my face, you see my twin. when you look at my life, you see the almighty hand of god. [cheering] as you can see, my family, standing behind me, would not be standing here today if abortion had not hurt us. if life had not empowered us. my children, standing here with me today would not have a mother if i had not survived. we were here today, marching for the lives of my children, people just like you and i. [cheering] when i met my birth mother, i had a choice to make, and i chose to forgive her. today, i choose not only to forgive, but to boldly proclaim the truth with you and stand alongside you for all life, because i know that there will be a day, and i dream of a day be a day, and i dream of a day when no other human being has to walk the face of this earth as an abortion survivor or a twinless twin in the name of choice. because of each of you, and because of what i know about god, i know that that day will come. [cheering] thank you. for marching for people like me, for people like them. god bless you all. [cheering] >> thank you so much. thank you. very powerful. our next speaker is another woman who is a true example of this year's theme. pro-life is pro-woman. another powerful example of a person who survived an attempted saline infusion abortion. melissa has pledged to be a voice for all of those not given the chance at life. she is a founder of the abortion survivor's network, a pro-life speaker, author, and mother. melissa oden. melissa: let us make history today, shall we? the president started us off well. 40 seven years ago the supreme -- 47 years ago the supreme court handed down the decision meant to be my death sentence. unfortunately, in 1977, my biological mother had a saline infusion abortion force upon her. period, i soaked in a solution being poisoned and scalded for to death. but 42 years ago, god said no, not this child and i was accidentally born alive. i weighed a little less than three pounds and faced a guarded future. time after time people said yes, we will not allow her to be left to die, and we will love her. my birth mother and many members of my parents family would say yes, we love her too. we will be reconciled, and we have been. i am so blessed to have survived an abortion, and to be loved by my adopted parents, to be a wife and a mother to two amazing daughters. olivia, you are so loved, and to be reunited with my birth mother and many members of her family who know that they are forgiven and that i love them. and, contrary to the culture that has been deeply impacted to -- by abortion said, abortion did not empower my birth mother or me. it did not empower my own daughters, who never would have lived if that abortion had succeeded. life is what has empowered each and every one of us. life is what allowed healing and brought forth love and forgiveness. life is what allowed the pain of our family to be transformed into purpose. life empowers us all. on behalf of my entire family, on 300 survivors we have worked with through the abortion survivor's network, i thank you. thank you for everything you do to restore a culture of life where families are encouraged and children are protected, and future generations will flourish. i can see the end of roe v. wade, cant you? but to get there i think the world needs to face what abortion has done. who abortion has affected. i am more than a choice, i am more than someone else's reproductive rights, i am a human being. and so are the other survivors of abortion. would you like to meet some of them? i know you would. it is time for the world to come face-to-face with its choice of abortion. i am thrilled to unveil this groundbreaking, independent work in --e been featured faces of choice. [cheering] [video clip] ♪ >> she looked me in the eye. >> can you look me in the eye and tell me that i should not exist. >> that i should be dead. >> that i deserve to die. >> can you look me in the eye and tell me that my survival was a mistake? >> a terrible toll on society? >> can you look me in the eye and tell me that i was nothing more than a parasite? >> a collection of body parts? >> subhuman? >> worthless? ♪ >> in 1952, i survived an multiple abortion attempts. >> instrument abortion. >> saline infusion abortion that was meant to poison and scald me to death. i am the face of choice. i am, that choice. >> i am that choice. [end video clip] [cheering] >> thank you, this is a powerful video. i have an important announcement, we have had a person get separated from their family, and this is a mentally disabled person. if everyone could listen up, we are looking for john, a 59-year-old white male with a blue coat and hood. he has a cleveland indian hat. if you can find him, please bring him to the white reunification tent on my right. one more time, looking for john who has gotten separated from his family. a 59-year-old white male wearing a 59-year-old white male wearing a blue coat with a hood, a cleveland indians hat. look at your neighbor to see if you can find him and bring him back. thank you so much. i know you guys are getting ready to march, so we will keep this thing moving. we will be done in a few minutes and then march. the next speaker is a dear friend of mine and i am so excited he is up here with us. i was honored and blessed to stand with him in times square this past spring. as we watched a live 40 ultrasound of a third trimester baby played on the jumbotron. that was our keynote. it was at a live from new york event posted by focus on the family, and that was the largest pro-life gathering ever in new york city. believe me when i say that we could see the hearts and minds of those who were present watching in front of us just change. it was amazing. you could hear a pin drop as we listened to the heartbeat. please, help me in welcoming to the podium the president of focus on the family, jim daly. jim: well -- hello everybody. man -- so, i am going to share a couple of stories, but do we love her and the march for life? [cheering] i am her fan. a couple of quick stories. one, at the new york event, one of the great things we had, we had alvina king speaking, benjamin watson from the new england patriots. we had christina bennett, the first three speakers, and we had 300 protesters to the left. some of whom came to represent black lives matter, and i think it was christina bennett or maybe benjamin watson say that more black children were killed in new york city by planned parenthood and were born last year. the black lives matter group threw their signs down and joined us. it was awesome. another snapshot to look into the pro-life movement. i got a call two months ago from a "new york times reporter" saying how can you support president trump? and i am like, what? first i said did you ever ask an obama supporter, did you ever ask that question of president obama supporters? of course not. the amazing thing that i think we just heard why we in the christian, pro-life community support president trump. [cheering] he is the most pro-life president that we have ever had. it is great. the other story i will share with you quickly, tuesday a recorded a broadcast that will air april 8 and ninth with three women who worked in the planned parenthood clinics. the interviewer, i am listening to her and the other two women and they said one of the things that happened is that we had monthly quotas to meet for abortion. i want america to hear this. it is not just kindness and good advice coming from planned parenthood. monthly quotas on the number of abortions. by the 20th of the month if they were down, the women working in the clinic were told to accelerate getting women to abort their babies. is that horrible? that is why we stand in the pro-life movement, for the baby, and for the woman. god bless you. [cheering] >> thank you jim. look at all the young people here today. you are the pro-life generation, remember to share your pictures and stories on chosen media using the hashtag why we march. let the world know, share your pictures on twitter, instagram, and facebook. this year the iconic banner will be carried by pro-life students from oakcrest school. we are thrilled to have one of those students with us right now. she is our next speaker, a 16-year-old who serves as the president of oakcrest school and the respects life club. help me welcome catalina to the stage. [cheering] catalina: good afternoon. and thank you so much for the introduction. my name is catalina. i am 16 years old, and i have lived my entire life in the washington, d.c. metro area. i am a junior at oakcrest school, and all girls middle school and high school in vienna, virginia. i am president of its respect life club. [cheering] i am so honored that oakcrest school students will carry the banner and lead the march for life this year. as a catholic and a young woman -- [cheering] i have always been passionate about protecting the unborn. throughout my life i have continually witnessed my parents prioritize my brother and me, emphasizing the beauty of parenthood, the gift of life, and the importance of the family. i have attended the march for life for years. this is my seventh march, and i am so grateful to be speaking in front of all of you today. we know that every aborted child is a unique person. a person with human dignity. a person created in the image and likeness of god. a person our world is tragically missing, whose life was ended before they breathed their first breath. from the moment i realized that the abortion industry was ending the lives of millions of babies and lying to women everywhere, i knew that god was calling me, and each of us to act. calling us to defend human dignity and protect the lives of generations to come. that is what we are doing here today. [cheering] we are showing the world that we believe in the importance of every single human life, regardless of their size, or level of development. this year, 2020, marks 100 years since american women were granted the right to vote in 1920. the heroic suffragettes knew that the fight for women's rights not end with the vote. they were strong, pro-life advocates, and helped pave the way for the modern pro-life movement. today, we honor them, and continue their legacy of justice through defending the most vulnerable, the most marginalized, those whose rights go completely unrecognized. the unborn boys and girls throughout the world. the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote in the united states, millions of young women are denied the right to life while they are still in the womb. with the same passion and strength of the suffragettes, we have to fight against the horror of abortion with all of ourselves, with all of our energy, even if courts oppose us, the pro-life movement's energy and growth comes from its courageous members. you and i, youth, the pro-life generation, are going to end abortion. [cheering] we cannot march today and forget tomorrow. all of us, in our daily lives can encourage a culture of life. we are going to support young mothers in difficult situations. we are going to save millions of lives. [cheering] if you support a ministry that helps women in difficult or uninspected pregnancies, -- unexpected pregnancies, volunteer or give financially to support mothers, let america hear you now. all of the pro-life student club and pro-life organizations represented here today are evidence that each of us, as individuals, make a difference in the fight for equality and human rights for the unborn. i will close with words from st. paul, in his first letter to the corinthians. "be on your guard, stand firm in the face, the courageous, be strong, do everything in love." muchas gracias. [speaking in foreign language] thank you so much. now, let us march for life. [cheering] >> awesome job. thank you so much. i have to give a quick shout out to another teenager who is turning 16 today, my niece. mary. if everyone could give it up for mary, who is sweet 16 is today. happy birthday. our next guest is the founder and executive director of new mexico alliance for life, cofounder of sidewalk advocates for life, and cochair of natives for life. she has been involved in the pro-life movement for 15 years and is working to foster a culture of life across new mexico. please welcome to the stage alisa martinez. >> thank you so much for the introduction. thank you for having me. it is one of the greatest honors of my career to be before this crowd. we are here to remind america, and everyone listening around the world what we believe and what we know to be true. that every life is a precious gift from god. i live and work in albuquerque, new mexico, the late-term abortion capital of the nation and i am honored to be cochairs of native americans for life, a coalition of native americans from across the country who are upholding the sanctity of life, many of whom are here today. before new york passed their abortion after birth bill, new mexico was the late-term abortion a capital of the free world. last year new mexicans were successful in rejecting an abortion up to support -- up to birth bill. amen to that. we changed pro-abortion senators , we change to the minds of the people of new mexico with our strength, the strength of the conviction, and prayers. we proved that no single group, political party, or organization has the right to speak on behalf of women. through the work with new mexico alliance for life, i have worked with women who have had abortions including the family of a young woman who died in the sixth month of pregnancy during an elective, late-term abortion procedure. people need to know that late-term abortions -- induce labor. they take three to four days. the mother delivers the infant, and sometimes these babies to come out alive. these are viable human beings. scared, and fighting for life. it is unconscionable that we cannot pass legislation to ensure babies receive a warm blanket, someone to hold them and proper medical care. a woman undergoing a late-term abortion is 90 times more likely to die than a mother delivering through natural pregnancy. at the end of the day, americans are pro-life, and want to see limits, not only on late-term abortions the vast geordie of -- vast majority of americans want to see abortion limited to the first trimester. i hope you will join us for making our voices heard for those who do not have a voice. pro-life is pro-woman. >> thank you so much. i would like to direct your attention to the screen briefly as we send a heartfelt thank you to our knights of columbus for all that they do for the pro-life movement in their communities. the march for life is indebted to them. thank you. [video clip] >> that moment -- everything change the moment i found out that i was pregnant. without the knights of columbus donating these ultrasounds, i do not think i would've ever kept my son. before seeing him, i wanted to put them up for adoption, or i was going to have an abortion. i was still in high school, and so scared and nervous. but, when i saw him on the ultrasound, and i heard his heartbeat, i fell in love with that sound and tiny little peanut. that is when i was like, i want to keep him, this is my child. i am very grateful for getting the opportunity to have to see my son, that changed my life completely, and i am so grateful. thank you. [end video clip] [cheering] >> alright. thank you of columbus. now you may have noticed that the stage behind me is filling up with familiar faces. the pro-life movement is made up of incredibly dedicated individuals, who work day in and out to build a culture of life in our country and around the world. the mission of the march for life is to make abortion unthinkable by uniting, equipping, and mobilizing people in the public square. unite, unity is at the heart of the mission of our organization, and we should be seeing different organizations' names rolling on the screen. let us get it one minute -- let us wait one minute to get that queued up. all of -- every single person behind me represents a different organization with a unique and specific mission in the urgent task of building a culture of life. each organization is different and meets a unique need to protect the most vulnerable. with the loss of over 61 million americans to abortion, there is a great deal of work ahead for pro-life people around the country and world. like you, and like these folks standing behind us. by inviting each organization on stage, we want to show you all that the pro-life community works together in a common bond. we now honor each and every one of you for your invaluable, and irreplaceable work. we are better and stronger together in this fight. we are better and stronger together in this fight. thank you from the bottom of our hearts, think you for the work -- thank you for the work you do day in and out to make abortion unthinkable. each of the names of your organizations have rolled across the screen. before we begin the march i have a few administrative announcements. this one is important. we need to be pro-life and how we are treating the grounds. if you have trash, drop it in the dumpster, do not throw your trash on the ground. second, along the route you will have several opportunities to provide donations that help support the march for life. you can do this by dropping cass -- cash and change. finally, at the conclusion of the rally, these follow our directions of the marshals will point you in directions to participate in the march. there are a lot of you, so follow their lead so that we can march to the supreme court safely. now, we will have our closing prayer, and we have gotten a special pastor to do our closing prayer. my next-door neighbor who i just adore, to the woman who did my makeup at fox news this morning. people love pastor platt at maclean's bible church. so best-selling author, father, and most recently, pastor of maclean's bible church, we are so happy to welcome him to the stage. pastor david platt will close us in prayer. thank you, and god bless you all. pastor platt: before i pray i should say one year ago god used this march along with a variety of other means to call my wife and me to begin the process of adoption. we have adopted two of our four kids, and we thought our family was complete, but god thoughts different, so we began praying for a child, not knowing if we would adopt a boy or girl. our kids decided that until we met the child we would just call him or her wonderfully made, because this is what god calls them. so, we prayed month after month over the last year for wonderfully made until we were matched with a three-year-old little boy, and next week he will officially become part of our family. [cheering] i share this because i praise god for a mom, a woman, herself wonderfully made by god who chose to give life to a precious boy, i will soon call my son. as we pray, let us pray that god would use this march not as a memorable experience for political events, but as a means by which more lives, wonderfully made by him might be saved. as i lead in prayer, i thank god for people of various faiths who stand on the stage and i gladly join with them in this movement even as i now pray specifically to god in the name of jesus. let us pray. oh god, before we march, we pause to praise you, our creator. not one of us is standing here today by accident. you knit each of us together in our mother's womb. before we were even born, you knew us. the matter who we are, no matter the color of our skin, regardless of whether we were born healthy or with a disability, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by you. you are worthy of all of our worship. you are holy above all. you are sovereign overall. you are just in all. and, you are merciful to all who call upon you. we march today in need of your mercy. all of us. we are all sinners, from the white house to every house, our president, our vice president, every member of congress, every supreme court justice, every citizen of this country including every one of us marching, is a sinner. we have all turned aside from your ways to our ways. in our lives, and as a country in so many ways, and how we have settled for racial injustice, and how we have ignored the immigrant, marginalized the poor, neglected the needy, and how we have confused sexuality, abuse of authority, objectified beauty, and in how we have taken the lives of children, which is the reason of our gathering today. we plead, before we march, we plead for an end to laws in our country that make it legal to murder a child. we plead for your mercy. we confess that under the guise of protecting women, we have destroyed women. including the lives of 500,000 little women this last year whose bodies you were beautifully knitting together in their mother's womb. we confess that under the guise of promoting freedom, we have stolen freedom from one million little boys and girls over the last year who were defenseless against our machinations. we confess that we have dressed up abortion in all kinds of language about our rights and our privacy, and our plans for our lives, but in the end, one million children over the last year are dead, and we did it. god, have mercy. our lives, but in the end, one god have mercy on children, on on dads, have mercy have mercy on us. please open every person in our country to -- and god help us to love women in pregnancy, to care for them, to serve them, to honor them, particularly when they cannot see a way forward, and they may not want a baby, help us come alongside them and say we will take care of you as a mom if you are not ready to be. we will care for your children, and lead the way in foster care and adoption so that every child in our country from the moment of conception knows that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by a god who loves them more than they can imagine. oh, god, your love is truly unimaginable, and incomprehensible for this world, because youers, have not left us alone. you have come to us, born a baby like us. from a mother's womb, for us. jesus, you lived among us, caring for us, healing the sick, helping the weak, giving hope to all of us in need. we took you, and killed you. we nailed you to a cross. as you willingly took the payment for our sin, death upon yourself so that we could be forgiven, so that we could be forgiven for having abortions and performing abortions, encouraging abortions, or even standing idly by and doing nothing about abortions so that all who trust in jesus can be completely forgiven of all of their sins, healed from all of their sins and restored to relationship with you to live life with the full in your image. so, open our hearts to receive this mercy, and god calls our lives to reflect this mercy. two precious children in the womb, to precious children in the womb, to the women who carry them and every single person wonderfully made by you. in jesus' name we pray these things, amen. now, let us march. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ c-span's "washington journal," live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up saturday morning, we are getting your reaction as the impeachment trial resumes with president trump's defense team presenting their case before the senate. join the conversation all morning with your phone calls, text messages, facebook comments, and tweets. be sure to watch c-span's "washington journal," live at 7:00 eastern saturday morning. ♪ >> the impeachment of president trump. lodge unfiltered coverage of the senate trial on c-span2, live as it happens, and same-day arrears. follow the process on demand at c-span.org/impeachment and listen on the go easing the free c-span radio app. -- using the free c-span radio app. >> next, presidential candidate joe biden speaking to voters in new hampshire. he trails na