SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of Utahns gathered from around the state Saturday to take part in the 11th annual March for Life on Capitol Hill.
Anti-abortion organizations, conservative groups, and some religious leaders all addressed the crowd on a chilly winter morning, with Utah Highway Patrol officials estimating the crowd at around 450 people.
“Today we stand as witnesses to the truth that every life is sacred from the first moment of conception,” said Bishop Oscar Solis, representing the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
Attendees told us they gathered for this annual tradition in an effort to give voice to the voiceless.
“They can’t speak for themselves and if I don’t do it, who will?” said Esther Jordan, who came from Tooele. "Everyone has a right to live.”
Jordan was alongside Brook Livingston from Utah County. The two happened to reunite here after serving on a Latter-day Saint mission together in the past.
“I think it’s important to show support for any women who are questioning whether to have their baby or not,” said Livingston.
They also gather at a time when many of these advocates harbor continued frustrations over the legality of abortion in the state.
“Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 and that trigger law was enjoined, we estimate that well over 10,000 babies that should have been protected by that law have lost their lives,” said Mary Taylor, president of Pro-Life Utah.
The trigger law passed by the legislature in 2020 would bring on a near-total abortion ban, with only a few exceptions including rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
But Planned Parenthood sued the state in 2022, and the ban has been on hold since, keeping abortion legal up to 18 weeks.
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In its latest court filings, Planned Parenthood attorneys argued that the ban would infringe upon rights to bodily integrity and privacy that are protected within Utah’s constitution.
But these demonstrators stood together today to emphasize that all life is created equal.
“I think that abortions should not be legal,” Livingston said. "I think we should be protecting humans.”
We reached back out to Planned Parenthood and other local pro-choice groups for comment Saturday, but have not yet heard back.
