This past Friday, the 51st annual March for Life was held in Washington, D.C.
There were a number of high profile speakers at this year's rally and march, including President Donald Trump, who issued a video statement to the rally goers.
Vice President Vance gave remarks in person. He had previously spoken at the March for Life in 2023 while still in the Senate.
Other notable names included Live Action's Lila Rose, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
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Per usual, the March for Life rally was largely ignored by most media outlets, that is until after Trump signed an executive order reversing the two of former President Joe Biden's orders dealing with abortion.
Trump's order, titled "Enforcing the Hyde Amendment," ends any federal funding of elective abortion both in the U.S. and overseas.
"For nearly five decades, the Congress has annually enacted the Hyde Amendment and similar laws that prevent Federal funding of elective abortion, reflecting a longstanding consensus that American taxpayers should not be forced to pay for that practice. However, the previous administration disregarded this established, commonsense policy by embedding forced taxpayer funding of elective abortions in a wide variety of Federal programs.
It is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion."
Biden's past orders that have been rescinded for violating the Hyde Amendment are Executive Order 14076 (July 8, 2022) and Executive Order 14079 (Aug. 3, 2022).
Here is how the Trump Administration's fact sheet on the Enforcing the Hyde Amendment Order describes Biden's now-rescinded orders:
Trump's executive order was not the only action he took on the day of the March for Life rally, he also issued pardons for just under two dozen pro-life individuals who had been prosecuted and jailed for allegedly violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act.
Since it was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton, critics contend the FACE Act has been weaponized against prof-life activists.
But things are changing after the election of Trump.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) telling the Daily Signal he's going to introduce a bill to do away with the FACE Act.
"Joe Biden’s unjust weaponization of the FACE Act against pro-life activists and people of faith belongs in the dustbin of history,” Lee said to The Daily Signal. “While President Trump is stopping these outrageous prosecutions, we should ensure that no future administration has the ability to persecute Americans through unequal application of the law.”
Even if Lee succeeds, the events that occurred under enforcement of the FACE Act should not be forgotten.
One might recall that the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the weaponization of government launched an investigation in 2022 into the Biden administration's "political enforcement" of the FACE Act.
The investigation came after a highly publicized raid on pro-life activist Mark Houck's home, as well as his arrest along with his wife and their children.
Houck was acquitted in February 2023 and has vowed to sue the FBI. He was one of several witnesses called to testify on the FACE Act before the House Judiciary's subcommittee later that year in May. Another hearing on the same matter was held over a year later, in December 2024.
Meanwhile, the Biden DOJ and FBI seemingly did little to investigate the over 100 churches and clinics attacked in wake of the leaking of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobb's decision which returned abortion decisions to the states.
The lack of action by the federal government to look into vandalism and arson attacks on pro-life centers and churches across the nation extended to North Carolina.
A group called Jane's Revenge took credit for the vandalism and arson in multiple states, including the Mountain Area Pregnancy Services in Asheville.
"If abortions aren't safe neither are you" was spray painted on the building and several windows were broken.
In July 2022, North Carolina Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd called on then-Attorney General Josh Stein to take action and protect crisis pregnancy centers in the state. They gave him a response deadline of Aug. 15.
A few days after the deadline, Stein responded, saying he welcomed federal support and that any violence against such centers should be reported to local law enforcement.
Budd was not pleased with that response.
“Attorney General Stein refuses to acknowledge that he currently has unique authority to pursue justice against those who threaten crisis pregnancy centers,” Budd told North State Journal. “His office, as well as the federal Department of Justice, can and should do much more to protect these centers in the wake of renewed threats of violence and vandalism.”
Following the back and forth between Stein, Tillis and Budd, in September 2022 it was reported that no arrests had been made in at least 17 of the attacks, including the one in North Carolina. By December of the same year, and every year since, no arrests have been made nor has the FBI given an update on any investigations it may have opened.
Jane's Revenge issued a statement after the attacks in North Carolina and other states that made new threats towards pro-life clinics and churches. The group stated that unless they close down their "anti-choice operations" it would be "open season" on those entities.
The following year, in January 2023, the U.S. House took up a resolution to condemn the attacks on crisis pregnancy centers. The vote passed by a slim margin with all but three Democrats voting against it.
All six of North Carolina's Congressional Democrats voted it down: Reps. Don Davis (NC-01), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Kathy Manning (NC-06), Alma Adams (NC-12), George “Wiley” Nickel (NC-13) and Jeff Jackson (NC-14).
Jackson was elected as North Carolina's attorney general in the 2024 election, replacing Stein who is now governor.