Washington, DC was once again home for the annual March for Life Thursday. For most people, the rally started at 11:00am near the National Mall. For former Sen. Rick Santorum, it started much earlier. His PAC, Patriot Voices, kicked off the festivities with a speaking engagement at the Renaissance Hotel hours before the march.
In his speech, Santorum referenced the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision by saying, “The truth should not be decided by 9 people, it should be decided by one [God].”
When asked for comment on the rally, Santorum told The Daily Caller, “It’s always heartwarming to see hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country stand for the most vulnerable in our society.” He also had a piece of advice for the youth: “My advice for young people is to simply seek the truth.”
The Executive Director of Patriot Voices, Nadine Maenza, was encouraged by the average age of the crowd. “It’s exciting to see so many young people. Most don’t usually think about the youth when they think pro-life, but that is starting to change,” Maenza told TheDC.
Later in the day the rally centered on several high profile political speakers, including newly elected Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina; and Lila Rose, President of Liveaction.org.
Rose also spoke with TheDC about her fight against abortion. “Abortion is a human rights issue, and all human rights issue are political. In fighting for abortion we are fighting for the common defense of our citizens,” she said.
When asked about banning abortion and her views on Planned Parenthood she responded, “It should be fought on all levels. Everywhere a child is in danger, everywhere a family is breaking up, we need to be working to prevent it. The tax payer funding of abortions must be stopped. As for Planned Parenthood, they are the most evil institution we’ve ever seen in human history. They lobby to kill.”
Another advocate of eliminating taxpayer-funded abortions, Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith was also present. He is the co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. He sat down for an interview on Capitol Hill to discuss the recent bill passed by the House — “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act.” The bill was passed by a near party-line vote of 242-179.
“Not paying for abortions saves lives,” Smith told TheDC. “The Hyde amendment has probably saved over one million children alone. It makes abortion less likely when Medicaid doesn’t pay for it.”
He also touched upon how citizens are being duped into paying for abortions. “There is a lack of transparency going on. We’ve called insurance companies for clarification and have gotten conflicting answers. When you sign up for a plan, you could be funding a person’s abortion without even knowing it.”
Opposition to pro-choice policies is beginning to show, especially among young people. A recent Marist poll shows that 71% of millennials oppose using taxpayer funds for abortions. If these statistics continue to rise, expect an even bigger crowd on the National Mall for the 2016 March For Life.