Vice President Pence’s attendance at the March for Life created a lot of hype about the event this January, but that wasn’t why my wife and I traveled to Washington, DC, to participate. We came to find out what being pro-life means to individuals in this movement.

We learned that the phrase is gaining new meaning for many young people across the nation. The talk from the stage may have been all about legislation, but on the ground in the crowd, people we spoke with were far more enthused about their work to support mothers and children. Few people would disagree that more needs to be done for our most vulnerable, but actually doing it takes work and sacrifice. We met the staff of crisis pregnancy centers, people from adoption agencies, and sidewalk counselors.

One young woman told us of a friend who was under intense pressure from her boyfriend to abort the child they had conceived. Conflicted, she called her youth leader, who connected her with some of the many organizations available to assist women in her situation. She kept the child, who is now doing well. The story epitomizes the spirit of the march: the rank and file of this movement is most concerned with lives, not legislation. The self-sacrifice and dedication of the people we met give us hope for a day when abortion really is unthinkable.

One great resource for this new generation of pro-lifers is Life Matters Journal, a nonsectarian, nonpartisan magazine addressing many forms of violence – not only abortion but also war, capital punishment, euthanasia, torture, and embryonic stem cell research.

Participants in the March for Life in Washington, DC, January 27, 2017 Photograph by loynolife / instagram