The annual March for Life event protesting legalized abortion still plans to kick off Friday at noon, around the same time a major blizzard is expected to hit Washington.
President Jeanne Mancini said Thursday that while participants should use their “best judgment” about whether to attend the event or watch it indoors, the march will continue as scheduled. It will be the 43rd year for activists to march from the National Mall to the Supreme Court in protest of its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
“We are very concerned for people’s safety and want everyone to be cautious,” Mancini said. “However, the pro-life community is also concerned for the safety and well-being of the innocent, unborn in the womb. This movement to end abortion in this country is bigger than us and it is bigger than a weather event. This is a cause that is worth our best efforts and dedication, despite difficult circumstances.”
A number of prominent anti-abortion activists and politicians, including GOP presidential contender Carly Fiorina, are scheduled to speak at a midday rally before attendees begin the march down Constitution Avenue to end in front of the court.
Weather forecasters are predicting that the snow will start around the same time, although only trace amounts are expected to accumulate in the first few hours. By the end of the day Saturday, the Washington area could see more than two feet of snow in a storm experts are calling serious and life-threatening. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the area.
If the serious snowfall holds off until later Friday, it may not severely interfere with the march, which several hundred thousand people are expected to attend.
