Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the 52nd annual March for Life. Tens of thousands gathered on the National Mall, united by a horizon of hope—a vision for a future where every human life, from conception to natural death, is protected and cherished. Vice President JD Vance, speaking to marchers for the second year in a row, issued a stirring call build a culture where life is valued, while longtime legislative champion for life Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey reminded the crowd that pro-lifers are “a people of indomitable hope—we absolutely refuse to entertain discouragement or defeat.”
Their words arrive at a pivotal moment. Here in Arizona, data released in December from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows that 12,682 Arizona abortions were committed in 2024—that’s 12,682 lives lost and 12,682 mothers who deserve better alternatives.
A Vice President Who Practices What He Preaches
Vice President Vance delivered more than a speech—he delivered a vision. “We failed a generation,” he said, “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.” He announced that he and his wife Usha are expecting their fourth child, adding, “Let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches.”
Vance called the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision “the most important Supreme Court decision of my lifetime” and promised that under this Administration, pro-life advocates like Mark Houck will never again face FBI raids for peacefully standing for the unborn. President Trump has already pardoned 23 pro-life activists imprisoned under the previous administration.
The Pro-Life Generation Rising
Perhaps the most stirring sight on the National Mall was the sea of young faces. Tens of thousands of college students, high schoolers, and young families filled the crowd, many carrying signs declaring “I am the Pro-Life Generation.” They traveled by bus from universities and parishes across the nation, braving frigid temperatures to stand for life.
Their presence is a powerful rejoinder to those who claim the pro-life movement is fading. The truth is exactly the opposite: this generation has grown up seeing ultrasound images of their siblings and friends in the womb. They know that what they’re looking at is a baby, not a “clump of cells.” They have rejected the lies of a culture that tells them children are burdens rather than blessings. These young people are the future of the pro-life movement—and they give us profound hope that the horizon we march toward will one day be reality.
Arizona’s Numbers Tell the Story
The Arizona Department of Health Services’ 2024 Abortion Report reveals both the heartbreak and the hope in our state. The abortion rate declined slightly to 8.7 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, and the abortion ratio dropped to 161 per 1,000 live births. These modest declines remind us that every policy victory, every pregnancy care center visit, every conversation matters.
Consider these figures: 86% of women who obtained abortions were unmarried. Nearly half—48.6%—involved the abortion pill, which Rep. Smith rightly identified as a method that “literally starves [babies] to death.” And 71.3% of abortions were classified as “elective.” These numbers point to a truth Vice President Vance articulated perfectly: “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.”
The Pregnancy Care Center Solution
Both Vance and Smith emphasized that being pro-life means more than opposing abortion—it means building a culture that supports mothers and families. Rep. Smith noted that a Marist poll found 83% of Americans support pregnancy care centers, including 80% of those who identify as “pro-choice.” There are more than 2,700 pregnancy care centers nationwide, each one offering love, compassion, and real help to women facing pregnancies, expected and unexpected.
Here in Arizona, these centers make a difference every day—and they need our support more than ever. As Smith reminded the crowd, they are “under siege by Planned Parenthood” and hostile politicians who want to silence compassionate alternatives to abortion.
Pregnancy Care Centers are the single best answer to nearly every charge the forces for abortion throw at us. We need to do a better job of telling their story.
The Work Before Us in Arizona
In Arizona, we face a stark reality. With the passage of Proposition 139 in November, abortion through fetal viability is now enshrined in our state constitution. The fight to protect life in Arizona has entered a new and more challenging chapter. But as Rep. Smith declared: “We are a people of indomitable hope—we absolutely refuse to entertain discouragement or defeat.”
The 12,682 babies lost in Arizona in 2024 are not statistics—they are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, who will never know their first breath. And the mothers who chose abortion are women who deserve better than what our culture offered them. Yet there is also hope on the horizon for these women. As one woman who found healing after abortion, “I share my story so God can work through me to help others find peace, freedom, and life again through the cross.”
The work before us is clear: We must strengthen our pregnancy care centers. We must change hearts and minds—making the most of every opportunity God gives us—even one conversation at a time. We must support mothers and families so that choosing life becomes the easier path, not the harder one. We must prepare for the day when Arizonans are ready to reconsider the radical scope of Prop 139. And we must never stop working toward the day when every baby conceived in Arizona is protected by law and has the chance to thrive.
As Vice President Vance reminded us, “Go forth not with frustration but with joy.” The young people who flooded the National Mall last Friday are proof that our horizon of hope is not a distant dream—it is a generation that already believes every life is precious. The road ahead is long, but we serve a God who specializes in impossible situations. Every life reflects His image. Every mother deserves compassion. And Arizona’s children deserve champions who will never give up fighting for them.
Join Us at the Arizona March for Life
The energy we witnessed in D.C. is exactly what we need here at home. As we face this new and more challenging chapter under Prop 139, gathering together at the State Capitol is a powerful way to show that Arizona’s pro-life movement is still here and still active.
The Center for Arizona Policy team will participate in Arizona’s March for Life later this month. We would love for you and your family to join us as we stand together for life.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza (Just outside the State Capitol)
- 11:00 a.m. – Pro-Life Rally
- 12:00 p.m. – Arizona March for Life
Let’s take Vice President Vance’s advice to go forth with joy and walk for the unborn right here in Phoenix.
ICYMI