"Know that you have an unwavering ally in this vice president and this family. And you have a champion in the President of the United States, President Donald Trump."
Pence similarly touted Trump administrative actions, saying Trump "kept his promise" on judicial nominees and signed legislation allowing states to defund abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
Karen Pence thanked marchers for "standing in the cold for something that you believe in."
"Thank you for your stories of courage. Thank you for your stories of regret and forgiveness and starting over," she said. "Thank you for your stories of hope. Thank you for your stories of inspiration. Thank you for your stories of truth."
Other elected officials spoke at the event, among them U.S. Rep. Chris Smith R-N.J., a co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, announced the launch of what he said was "the first-ever pro-life caucus in the U.S. Senate." This caucus, he said, "will allow us to accelerate the momentum of the past few years in promoting and protecting life."
U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., another co-chair of the House's pro-life caucus, addressed the event. Lipinski is regarded as a leader among pro-life Democrats. In a tight 2018 primary election, he defeated a strong challenger who was pro-abortion rights.
"We don't agree on everything We've got Republicans, Democrats, independents," he said. "We all agree on one thing: every life is sacred. It needs to be protected. No one is expendable. Our highest priority has to defend life from the first moment. Everyone is unique from day one."
"We will never ever give up," said Lipinski. "Together we'll march until one day life, especially the most vulnerable, are protected."
Louisiana State Rep. Katrina Jackson, a Democrat, claimed Louisiana was the most pro-life state.
"It doesn't matter if you're Democrat, Republican, black or white, we fight for life," she told the crowd. "When people ask me 'Why are you a black female Democrat fighting for life?' I say 'Because I'm a Christian first'," Jackson said.
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Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire and host of a popular conservative podcast, faulted the Democratic Party's strong pro-abortion rights stand, but also challenged Republican legislators' failure to defund Planned Parenthood.
He depicted abortion as a betrayal of American efforts to secure "the promise of God-given rights, chief among them the rights to life and liberty."
"We decided that we could safely blot out millions of souls who could not protect themselves," he said. "We lied to ourselves, and then we built walls around that lie," Shapiro continued, criticizing "anti-scientific arguments" about life's origins and "euphemisms" like "termination of pregnancy, abortion, choice."
"We stand between America and the darkness, and we will march until that darkness is banished forever and all our children can stand in the sunlight," he told the marchers.
A video sponsored by the Knights of Columbus showed the pro-life work of the Catholic men's organization, including its ultrasound machine donation program. Its head, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, spoke to the rally and cited a Knights-sponsored poll showing strong support for "substantial restrictions" on abortion and policies to "protect mother and child before birth."
He also asked eligible men to join the Knights of Columbus, which has about 1.9 million members worldwide. The group's many friends and allies spoke out after a controversial December Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which two Democratic senators had questioned a judicial nominee's membership in the Knights due to their views on abortion rights and marriage.
Dr. Kathi Aultman, a former abortionist and fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, reflected on her journey away from performing abortions.