March for Life 2026: Compromise and Naturalism Masquerading as Catholic Action
The Catholic News Agency portal (January 22, 2026) reports on comments by Jennie Bradley Lichter, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, regarding the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington D.C. Lichter claims the march forms youth for “pro-life mission,” provides “refreshment” for activists, and offers a “public witness” despite the Roe v. Wade reversal. Speakers include Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and a prerecorded message from President Donald Trump. Lichter asserts pro-life politicians aren’t electorally disadvantaged post-Roe and opposes flexibility on the Hyde Amendment, while acknowledging 30 states permit late-term abortions.
Naturalism Replaces Supernatural Faith in Pro-Life Activism
The entire premise of the March for Life constitutes a fundamental betrayal of Catholic principles. Nowhere does Lichter or the article mention Christus Rex – Christ the King – to whom nations owe submission (Pius XI, Quas Primas). Instead, the march operates within the modernist framework condemned by Pius IX: “That the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Syllabus of Errors, #80).
The event reduces Catholic action to political lobbying, ignoring St. Paul’s admonition: “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power” (Eph 6:12). Pius XI warned in Divini Redemptoris that when society “denies or rejects the supernatural life, it necessarily makes civilization…a shapeless mass.” This describes perfectly the march’s focus on legislative tinkering rather than demanding America’s conversion to the One True Faith.
False Ecumenism Infects “Pro-Life” Witness
Lichter speaks of forming youth for “pro-life mission,” yet the March for Life welcomes Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and secularists – all denying the Catholic Faith necessary for salvation (Council of Florence, Cantate Domino). This violates Pius XI’s condemnation in Mortalium Animos: “To favor this opinion, therefore, and to encourage such undertakings is tantamount to abandoning the religion revealed by God.”
The article boasts that “the city shuts down every year on the day of the March for Life,” yet fails to recognize this as hollow symbolism when Washington D.C. remains a citadel of child sacrifice. Contrast this empty spectacle with Catholic kings like St. Ferdinand III of Castile, who expelled heretics and made Catholic worship the law of the land.
Political Servility Over Catholic Principle
Lichter’s defense of the Hyde Amendment reveals the movement’s bankruptcy: “The Hyde Amendment is Pro-Life 101.” This accepts the fatal compromise enshrined in Roe‘s wake – regulating rather than abolishing abortion. Compare this cowardice to Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus condemnation: “In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State” (Error #77).
The featured speakers demonstrate deeper apostasy:
“President Donald Trump provided a prerecorded message to the marchers…”
Trump, who called himself “very pro-choice” in 1999 and supports exceptions for rape/incest, embodies the “false conciliation” condemned by St. Pius X (Notre Charge Apostolique). His administration’s support for Israel’s abortion regime goes unmentioned – a tacit endorsement of the “Jewish people’s right to sin” (St. Augustine, Contra Faustum).
Omitting the Church’s True Weapons Against Abortion
Nowhere does Lichter mention the Rosary, Eucharistic adoration, or the need for sacramental confession – the actual means to end abortion. This naturalistic approach mirrors the Modernist heresy defined by St. Pius X: “Religious sentiment…should be considered the rule of faith” (Lamentabili Sane, #22).
Contrast this with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s true victory: By converting 9 million Aztecs through supernatural signs, she ended their culture of human sacrifice. Today’s “pro-life” activists reject this model, preferring political rallies to penance processions. They ignore Pius XI’s teaching that “PEACE is only possible in the Kingdom of Christ” (Quas Primas), not in Donald Trump’s America.
Theological Errors in “Pro-Life 101”
Lichter’s assertion that “abortion might be a losing issue in the midterms” betrays a consequentialist ethic condemned by Pius XII: “Never…may one deliberately permit a single abortion, even when continued pregnancy threatens the mother’s life” (Address to Midwives, 1951).
The article’s statistics about state abortion laws omit the crucial fact: All 50 states defy God’s law. As Pope Leo XIII taught in Immortale Dei: “There is no power but from God: and those that are ordained of God” (Rom 13:1). Governors permitting abortion forfeit legitimacy – a truth the March for Life dare not speak.
Source:
March for Life’s Jennie Bradley Lichter: ‘A lot of work to do’ amid political climate (catholicnewsagency.com)
Date: 22.01.2026