Jennie Bradley Lichter is the President of March for Life. Lichter discussed the impact the March for Life event has had on people and the country. The article is based on an interview Lichter gave to Abi Galván for EWTN Pro-Life Weekly. The interview aired on January 21, 2026.
about 1 month ago
Jennie Bradley Lichter, president of March for Life since February 2025, describes her first year as filled with blessings and immersion in personal stories from march attendees.1 2
She highlights how the event has shaped lives, from meeting spouses to discovering vocations.1
Despite Roe v. Wade's overturn, abortions remain too prevalent, making the march essential.1 2
Lichter outlines three key impacts: forming young people in their formative years, refreshing pro-life veterans, and providing powerful public witness in Washington, D.C.1 2
The state march program grew from 19 events in 2025 to 21 planned for 2026, spanning red and blue states.1
Swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan show record attendance and youthful energy.1
Lichter rejects claims that pro-life stances hurt elections post-Dobbs, citing successes like Gov. Ron DeSantis.1 2
She affirms no flexibility on the Hyde Amendment, calling it "Pro-Life 101."2
The 53rd March for Life on January 23 features the theme "Life Is a Gift," with a compact program including a choir of young adults with Down syndrome and testimonies from a mom who reversed an abortion pill and a PRC director.1 2
Speakers include VP JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Chris Smith, and a video from President Trump.2
March for Life will prioritize highlighting pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes through visits and partnerships like diaper donations.1
Lichter emphasizes heart-centered messaging to affirm life's beauty amid arguments.1
Investigate Catholic doctrine on abortion’s moral authority
Catholic doctrine unequivocally condemns direct abortion—defined as the deliberate killing of an innocent human being in the womb, whether willed as an end or a means—as a grave moral evil that is intrinsically illicit and unchangeable. This teaching derives its moral authority from the natural law inscribed in every human heart, Sacred Scripture, the unbroken Tradition of the Church from the first century onward, and the ordinary and universal Magisterium, culminating in definitive papal declarations and conciliar affirmations. No circumstance, purpose, or human law can ever justify it, as it violates God's commandment "You shall not kill" and the inviolable dignity of human life from conception.
The moral authority of this doctrine rests first on the natural law, knowable by human reason itself, which recognizes human life as sacred from its inception because it directly involves "God's creative activity." As Pope John Paul II teaches in Evangelium Vitae, the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is "always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end," contradicting justice and charity. This is reaffirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which states: "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."
Sacred Scripture provides explicit support, portraying God as intimately involved in forming life in the womb: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jer 1:5) and "My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth" (Ps 139:15). Though Scripture does not explicitly address procured abortion, its profound respect for prenatal life logically extends the commandment "You shall not kill" to the unborn, as all humans from conception belong to God under His providence. The Catechism echoes this: "From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion... is gravely contrary to the moral law."
From the Didache (ca. 70 AD)—"You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish"—Christian Tradition has unanimously condemned abortion as gravely immoral, even amid debates on ensoulment. Early writers like Athenagoras deemed abortifacients murderous, as the unborn are under "Divine Providence," while Tertullian called it "anticipated murder." Medieval distinctions in penalties never denied its objective gravity; St. Thomas Aquinas labeled it a grave sin against natural law. Councils like Mainz (847) imposed rigorous penance, and popes from Sixtus V to Paul VI upheld this without wavering. Vatican II's Gaudium et Spes deems abortion and infanticide "abominable crimes," as life must be guarded "with the utmost care from the moment of conception." This "supernatural sense of the faith," guided by the Holy Spirit, ensures the Church's fidelity.
The ordinary and universal Magisterium provides the doctrine's supreme authority. Pope John Paul II, invoking Petrine authority "in communion with the Bishops," declared: "Direct abortion... always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine... is transmitted by the Church’s Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit." Earlier, Pius XII excluded all direct abortion, "whether such destruction is intended as an end or only as a means," and Paul VI in Humanae Vitae absolutely excluded it, even for therapeutic reasons, as contrary to God's design for life.
The Catechism integrates this seamlessly: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable." Formal cooperation incurs latae sententiae excommunication (Canon 1398), underscoring its gravity while inviting conversion.
Laws legalizing abortion lack true juridical validity, as they contradict the moral law and eternal law. St. Thomas Aquinas, cited in the Catechism, explains: "A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason... Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law." Such laws deform consciences, especially conflating legal and moral spheres, but Catholics must obey God over men (Acts 5:29), defending the common good without imposing faith but upholding natural reason.
In summary, the Catholic doctrine on abortion's immorality holds unassailable moral authority through its roots in reason, Revelation, Tradition, and Magisterium—unchanged and unchangeable. It calls all to protect life, seek mercy through repentance, and foster a culture of life, as the Church urges conversion for those involved.