Salem, Ore. — Pro-life advocates from across Oregon gathered outside the State Capitol in Salem on Saturday for the annual Oregon March for Life.
This year’s March featured speeches by Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample, former Senate leader Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend), and OSU Pro-Life Student Alliance leader Rebecca Lang, among others.
This is the first time the event was held in May, the month that Oregon legalized abortion statewide in 1969. The Oregon March for Life historically took place in January to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (1973) prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade was a new beginning, not the end, of the pro-life movement,” Oregon Right to Life executive director Lois Anderson said. “By holding the Oregon March for Life in May, we have emphasized the renewed importance of working for pro-life protections within our state, and expanding a culture of life in our communities.”
Pro-life advocates of all ages and backgrounds attended the March, advocating for a renewal of protections for Oregon’s most vulnerable. The program emphasized the importance of empathetic and compassionate dialogue, as well as providing encouragement and tangible support to women facing unsupported pregnancies and healing for those who have had abortions in our communities.
“It is always encouraging to gather with so many pro-life Oregonians, deeply committed to peacefully and compassionately advocating for mothers and their babies,” Anderson said.
Abortion is currently legal until the moment of birth in Oregon, with no protections for unborn human beings or explicit safeguards for newborns who survive abortion attempts. Taxpayer dollars currently pay for more than half of all abortions performed in the state. Oregon Right to Life is dedicated to promoting a culture of life in Oregon through grassroots action, political advocacy, and educational outreach.
