WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Hundreds of pro-lifers gathered outside Planned Parenthood's “flagship” abortion facility in the nation's capital Thursday to pray for an end to abortion and celebrate recent pro-life victories.
The day before the 44th annual March for Life, pro-life leaders were hopeful about the arrival of the Trump administration and the youth of the pro-life movement.
Lauren Handy of Mercy Missions announced that one DC Planned Parenthood worker recently quit, citing the prayers of pro-lifers. She said six employees at the “flagship” facility and the center in Silver Spring, Maryland, are considering leaving the abortion industry.
“We are poised to see Roe come crumbling down upon itself,” said Rev. Patrick Mahoney.
Michele Hendrickson of Students for Life of America encouraged the crowd by pointing out that while Students for Life has over 1,000 chapters, Planned Parenthood's youth activist group barely has 300.
“They call it Planned Parenthood Generation,” said Hendrickson, but “we are creating generations and they are killing them.”
“We're not backing down,” Hendrickson said of how Students for Life will respond to pro-abortion sentiment festering in the wake of President Trump's election. She said pro-life students were spat on and harassed at the Women's March on Washington last weekend.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said that defunding Planned Parenthood is “just the start,” citing the numerous criminal referrals the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives made of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry.
“We're going to prosecute you,” said Newman. He said Planned Parenthood operating out of this large new building is like putting “lipstick on a pig” because of the brutal and dangerous nature of abortion.
DC resident Jacqueline Johnson also spoke at the rally and thanked participants for their solidarity with the African-American community against eugenics-driven Planned Parenthood. Johnson is part of the Archdiocese of Washington's Proverbs 24 community, which prays outside the new abortion facility.
The rally participants were from around the country. They included college students from Arizona and a newly married couple who met at the 2012 March for Life.