Tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters gathered on the National Mall on Friday to rally against abortion access nationwide during this year’s March for Life just four days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Protesters began to gather at the Washington Monument at about 11 a.m. and just before 2 p.m. made their way to the area outside of the Supreme Court to call on the justices to continue to push for an end to abortion protections across the country. Speakers included Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer known for surviving a shark attack in 2003, who delivered the keynote address, as well as newly inaugurated Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, president of anti-abortion group Live Action Lila Rose and Trump via a prerecorded video presented on jumbotrons by the Washington Monument.

In the virtual message, Trump thanked the attendees for the effort they made to attend the rally and their “compassion for the unborn.”

“In my second term we will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump said.

Trump mentioned his recent pardon of 23 anti-abortion activists Thursday who were convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances, including the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Foggy Bottom, saying that the previous administration under former President Joe Biden targeted protesters for their anti-abortion stances. 

“I’m releasing the Christians and pro-life activists who were persecuted by the Biden regime for praying and living out their faith,” Trump said.

Following the video, Vance arrived on stage, marking in his first public appearance since being sworn into office Monday morning.

Vance praised the large crowd for coming out on an “especially frigid” January day, as temperatures reached 20 degrees. During his speech, Vance acknowledged the dedication of pro-life supporters and announced the support of the Trump administration on pro-life policies, including the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, an act passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, which ensures that babies born during or after an abortion attempt are given the same medical care by health care professionals as babies born during a natural birth.

“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 said. “You being here, this very march is a reminder of the incredible strength and unity of the pro-life movement, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for being here, and thank you for marching here today.”

As the morning progressed, the streets echoed with chants, prayers and call-and-responses from protesters. Chants included slogans like “B-A-B-Y we love babies, yes we do, we love babies how ‘bout you?”

Sean Heim from The New Columbia Movement, a Christian-based organization across the United States of men with values of “faith, family and fraternity,” said the group attended the rally in order to address the “core issue” of defining life at its most “vulnerable and innocent” stage. 

“When you look at all the issues across the United States and things that need to be fixed, if you can’t define life, and if you can’t recognize valuing life at its most vulnerable and most innocent stage, then you really have a hard time justifying and implementing any other level of moral justice laws across society broadly,” Heim said.

Heim said the environment at this March for Life was also more “hopeful” than those he attended in the past as a child in northern Virginia because of the progress the anti-abortion movement has made, like the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, which he said has lessened some of the stigma around the pro-life movement and increased its momentum.

“I think that’s actually encouraging more and more people to be active as it becomes more socially acceptable to advocate for these kinds of values because social pressures can be difficult when it comes to advocating for these things,” Heim said.

Students from colleges like Princeton, Northeastern and Notre Dame universities traveled to D.C. to attend the rally and stand for anti-abortion policies in the United States. Two students from The Catholic University of America, Ben Leal and Clement Radich, said they attended the march to protect “innocent” unborn children from abortion.

“We gotta protect the most vulnerable and stand up for the rights of everybody, and I think that’s what Jesus calls us to do, and we all need to carry out that mission,” Leal said.

Thomas Patchan and Kevin Zarenda, coordinators at St. Veronica Catholic Church in Chantilly, Virginia, said life must be supported from conception until death from natural causes. Zarenda said he felt that the Trump administration could be doing more to end abortion protections, like by supporting pregnancies through birth and that there was a risk of the anti-abortion movement going stagnant after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“What we need is the constitutional amendment that recognizes what the declaration says in its very first lines, that every right is based on the right to human life,” Zarenda said. “I think unless this movement continues, that’s just gonna get lost. People will think that the victory is over, and it’s not.”

Brooke Forgette contributed reporting.