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Vice President JD Vance addressed tens of thousands of pro-life advocates at the 52nd annual March of Life on Friday in the nation's capital, emphasizing that while the American government has failed struggling mothers, families, and the unborn in the past, change is not simply on the horizon but underway.
After pro-life advocates shivered through a multitude of speakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, they finally heard from President Donald Trump via video message then from Vance in the flesh.
Trump, who on Thursday pardoned over two dozen pro-life activists targeted by the Biden Department of Justice, thanked pro-life advocates in the video for consistently standing up "for precious little babies who cannot stand up for themselves."
'We march to proclaim and live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle.'
After noting that Roe v. Wade was struck down with the help of Supreme Court justices he appointed to the high court, Trump stressed that in his second term, "We will again stand proudly for families and for life. We will protect the historic gains we have made and stop the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion on demand up to the moment of birth and even after birth."
Trump, the first sitting president to attend the March for Life, promised also to help and protect new mothers, young families, and vulnerable children; support adoption and foster care; and bring the radicals who execute attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers to justice.
Following Trump's televised remarks, Vance took the stage and identified reasons for marching: "We march to protect the unborn. We march to proclaim and live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle and a gift from God."
He added to his list of reasons, noting some might not be as obvious as others despite being equally important.
'I want more happy children in our country.'
While reiterating that "the task of our movement is to protect innocent life, it's to defend the unborn," Vance added that "it's also to be pro-family and pro-life in the fullest sense of that word possible."
The Catholic vice president's message echoed many of the themes and suggestions in Pope John Paul II's papal encyclical Evangelium Vitae, which discussed the perversion of the idea of freedom, the exaltation of the "isolated individual in an absolute way," and the devaluation of life expedited by technology under the "Culture of Death."
Vance bemoaned the historic failure of American society and government to adequately "lend a hand to young people facing a moment of desperation" whilst hedonistic and utilitarian outlooks were nationally ascendant.
"We have failed a generation not only by permitting a culture of abortion on demand but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to lead a happy and meaningful life," said the vice president. "A culture of radical individualism took root — one where the responsibilities and joys of family life were seen as obstacles to overcome, not as personal fulfillment or personal blessing."
After stating plainly, "I want more babies in the United States of America; I want more happy children in our country; and I want beautiful young men and young women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them," Vance underscored that the role of government moving forward is to make it easier for Americans to have kids and recognize them not as inconveniences but as blessings.
Vance signaled further that the Trump administration will work to cultivate a culture that celebrates life at all stages, in part with pro-family policies such as an improved child tax credit.
Vance told CBS News' Margaret Brennan in August that he wanted to see a child tax credit that is $5,000 per child, noting, "What President Trump and I want to do on family policy is make it easier for families to start in the first place. We want to bring down housing costs so that if you have a baby, there's actually a place to raise that baby."
While Vance mentioned potential government remedies in his address Friday, he identified the work already being done to move the needle by hardworking Americans across the country: "You donate to diaper banks. You help find housing for those in need. You fund the crisis pregnancy centers to give help to young women and young men in a time of crisis. You guys are the beating heart of the pro-life movement, and you have saved many lives already — and you're going to save more again."
Vance indicated that advocates' unrelenting fight to protect the unborn "make it possible for us to stand here and say that America is fundamentally a pro-baby, a pro-life, and a pro-family country."
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