Pro-Life marchers go to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C. to mark the Roe V Wade decision. January 22, 2015. (Getty images)
The 47th annual March for Life takes place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. every winter. Thousands gather in unity to fight against the most significant human rights violation of our time — legalized abortion on demand. The event has expanded to include multiple functions, speakers, worship services, prayer services and Catholic Masses.
For the past 16 years, Herbie Newell has been the President and Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services, an organization that serves vulnerable children around the world.
Author Herbie Newell traveled to the event advocating for the womb and for all life as addressed in his current book, Image Bearers: Shifting From Pro-Birth to Pro-Life. The President of Lifeline Children’s Services urges people to care for all vulnerable souls—from the unborn, elderly, single moms, widows, refugees, he shared with CNJ during the event.
“Abortion is a significant issue because abortion extinguishes life before it ever has an opportunity to live. If we’re not caring for life outside of the womb, then our pro-life ethic is really falling on its head. We have to be passionate about life because it’s created in the image of God,” he said, “and it’s unique and special.”
Newell also presents in Image Bearers how common people of faith are creating inroads in the battle for the sanctity of every human life. His hope is that this small volume will turn pro-birth advocates into true pro-life activists in the very best sense of the word. So far, he suggested, we’re failing as a church.
“It’s disconcerting when a church advocates for a pro-life position, but they’re silent for caring for kids in foster care. They’re silent about adoption. They’re silent about caring for single women. They’re silent about racial reconciliation. We are 100 percent for the unborn, but we need to be just as passionate about these other gospel-driven issues.”
The March can be a place of hope for those advocating for life and taking these issues on in accord. And, let’s face it, it can become a lonely fight as the minority. There’s a realization of how widespread these issues are both denominationally. Coming together as one gives an ear to lawmakers to know a tremendous sector of our country desires an end to federal laws making abortion legal.
Newell also addressed Millennials in his book and said they are the most pro-life generation alive today despite the bad rap often associated with the generation.
Some might find his assertion remarkable.
Steinar Engeland/ Unsplash
“I think Millennials get shut down and have a hard time advocating pro-life issues because they see the inconsistencies in the pro-life movent. Millennials are also pro-immigration, also anti-human trafficking. They are also pro-racial reconciliation. They are looking at their parents and grandparents and they’re seeing hypocrisy and discrimination against races and cultures and looking down upon people, and yet, advocating to end abortion,” he added. “They are a generation that looks and says, ‘We need to be consistent.’ We need to make the pro-life movement so much deeper and so much richer. This gives Millennials a true voice — if we want to bring Millennials to the table we can’t make this a purely Republican issue.”
There has been consistency and support for pro-life from the Trump administration. Seen as the most prolific pro-life president in history, Trump is following the footsteps of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to protect the sanctity of life. Trump will be the first president to ever attend the March for Life. He spoke remotely during the 2018 March for Life.
REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
“President Trump, whether you like it or not, is an executive, and so executives don’t like bureaucracy and a lot of red tape. I do think this president has been very true to act on his promises on pro-life issues. He wants to appoint pro-life judges, he wants to help defund Planned Parenthood. I am not surprised he is coming. Some may think he’s rallying his base, I don’t know his heart. Like it or not, he’s been very consistent. For pro-life people, there is hope to know there are leader/leaders standing by this agenda. Anytime there is a leader that represents a party– it polarizes the issue. My prayer is that the president will stay partisan and stay singularly focused on the life issue.”
March for Life began in 1974, one year after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
To learn more about Herbie Newell visit http://herbienewell.com/. Image Bearers can be purchased via Amazon or the book’s website https://lifelinechild.org/image-bearers/.
About the Author:
Corine Gatti-Santillo has spent two decades as an editor, investigative reporter and web content strategist; her work has appeared in The Christian Post, LifeZette and CBN, among other outlets. She is the host of the program “Mom on the Right” on The Liberty Beacon TV. She and her husband, Rocky, live in Virginia with their infant daughter and yellow lab Maggie