(Oregon Right to Life) — On Saturday, May 30, hundreds of pro-life Oregonians gathered to participate in the annual Oregon March for Life, peacefully marching and demonstrating outside the state Capitol building in Salem.
One of the biggest pro-life events in the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon March for Life draws Oregonians who share a common vision of a pro-life future for the state in which every innocent human being is respected and protected from the earliest moments of existence until the end of life.
“Today, as we have for more than fifty years, pro-life people gathered to rally on behalf of the unborn,” Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson said in a Saturday press release. “Each time we march, we mourn those lost to abortion and urgently call for legal protections for every human being.”
March participants had the opportunity to visit a variety of booths hosted by local organizations and chapters of national groups: The Glorify Project, Hope’s Garden Maternity Home, Multnomah County Right to Life, Oregon Family Council, Road to Hope, Salem 40 Days for Life, Salem Right to Life, Salem Sidewalk Advocates for Life, Students for Life of America, and Turning Point USA.
As always, the event program began with the display of an animated counter on a jumbotron that visually depicted the heartbreaking number of abortion victims since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. As the numbers added up, shown against a map of the U.S. representing the equivalent state populations lost to abortion, a bell tolled once for every ten million lives lost. More than 63 million lives have been lost to abortion since Roe.
“In many ways, this is a serious event,” Anderson said. “It’s heartbreaking that tens of millions of lives have been lost to abortion in our country. And here in Oregon, where abortion is legal until birth, late-term abortions are on the rise.”
“But part of being pro-life is that we never lose hope,” she added. “Whenever pro-life people gather, as at the Oregon March for Life, there is always such a strong sense of joy and optimism because we have a shared recognition of the beauty and goodness of human life.”
Following the period of silence for the victims of abortion, the event’s speakers delivered inspirational pro-life talks that addressed the tragedy of abortion while also reflecting on the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade and the importance of hope for the future, helping to infuse the crowd with a sense of mission.
This year’s March speakers were: Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample, Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) President Melody Durrett, Republican Rep. Court Boice and his wife, Britt Ivy Boice, former First Image Pregnancy Resource Center CEO Larry Gadbaugh, and ORTL Executive Director Lois Anderson. ORTL Community Outreach Director Makyra Williamson and Political Advocacy Director Sharolyn Smith emceed the event.
In his reflection at the beginning of the speaker program, Archbishop Sample urged pro-life advocates not to lose sight of the reality of abortion and the truth about the dignity of every human life.
“Jesus said, ‘If you abide in my word, you will be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ This is what our world needs today: to embrace, once again, truth. And especially the truth about the human person,” the archbishop said. “We are not random accidents, but we are planned by God.”
“And it’s not just faith, it’s not just philosophy, it’s science,” he said. “Every child conceived in the womb is a unique member… an irreplaceable, irrepeatable member of the human race. We must never lose that truth, as we continue in this great fight.”
Oregon Right to Life President Melody Durrett pointed out that the pro-life movement shows that truth in stark opposition to the lies offered by the abortion industry.
“The abortion industry capitalizes on fear to sell the lie that abortion is a mercy that can help women out of a bad situation in life,” she said. “The pro-life movement’s approach to these difficult issues could not be more different. Instead of selling abortion, the pro-life movement comes alongside women and families with support and resources and tells women, ‘You do not have to end the life of your child to achieve your future.’”
“Human life is valuable, and I am so proud to stand here on that message with you all today,” Durrett said.
In his address, Representative Court Boice thanked marchers for attending the event, emphasizing the importance of every human being and their essential dignity.
“Every story matters. Cherishing life matters. You heard earlier, truth matters. And that’s exactly why we’re all here,” Representative Court Boice said. “We will respect and we will defend human dignity.”
“We run the race to win,” he added. “Changing one heart at a time. Thank you for being here today. Thank you for your love. Thank you for doing what is right. God bless you, God bless America, God bless our children.”
In a recorded video message shared with marchgoers, Britt Ivy Boice, the wife of Representative Boice, shared the remarkable story of her healing following an abortion experience that left her devastated and traumatized.
When, in a seemingly chance encounter, she met a woman – Ginny – who served on the board of directors for a pregnancy care center and gave her resources for post-abortive women, Boice said, “the penny dropped.”
“For me, my life made sense,” she said. “And I discovered I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t crazy, and I wasn’t doomed. I was wounded. I was deceived… Discovery requires compassion, and restoration requires resources… And God gets all the glory.”
Closing out the speakers program, Larry Gadbaugh – former Grace Community Church pastor and now North American Hub Leadership Team chairman for the Life International Global Advisory Council – led March participants in prayer.
“You promised, Lord, that if we draw near to you, you draw near to us,” he said. “So we draw near to you together… Strengthen us, Father, to walk faithfully, to walk truthfully, to walk in compassion, Lord, to rightly represent you as we reflect you in our character. We entrust ourselves to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Just after the conclusion of the speaker program, the crowd began the half-mile march around the Capitol, carrying a diverse array of signs and banners promoting the dignity and value of every human life, including at the earliest stages of development in the womb.
This year’s event also featured the second annual diaper drive, coordinated with the EveryLife diaper company by Oregon Right to Life Community Outreach Director Makyra Williamson. Generous supporters contributed to donate nearly 39,000 diapers that will be distributed to pro-life pregnancy resource centers statewide. This year’s diaper drive campaign far exceeded the original 30,000 diaper goal.
Williamson said her team is very grateful for the generosity of all those who participated in the diaper drive.
“This is the second time we’ve hosted a diaper drive at the Oregon March for Life, and it’s also the second time we’ve seen pro-life advocates go above and beyond to help us meet and blow past our goal,” Williamson said in the Saturday press release. “Pro-life Oregonians have been tremendously generous and motivated to put their convictions into action to ensure that moms and families are supported and encouraged. We are so grateful, and we know that the pro-life pregnancy resource centers and the moms and families who receive these high-quality baby diapers will be very appreciative of this generosity.”
2026 marks the third year the event has been held in May, the month that Oregon legalized abortion statewide in 1969. In previous years, the Oregon March for Life took place in January to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (1973) prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe.
Abortion is currently legal until the moment of birth in Oregon, with no protections for unborn human beings or explicit safeguards for newborns who survive abortion attempts. Taxpayer dollars currently pay for more than 80% of all abortions performed in the state.
Oregon Right to Life is dedicated to promoting a culture of life in Oregon through grassroots action, educational outreach, the advancement of life-affirming legislation, and political advocacy.
