{"id":10258,"date":"2026-01-26T17:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=10258"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:06:11","slug":"choose-god-or-paganism-jd-vance-delivers-defiant-pro-life-message-at-march-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/01\/choose-god-or-paganism-jd-vance-delivers-defiant-pro-life-message-at-march-for-life.html","title":{"rendered":"‘Choose God or Paganism’: JD Vance Delivers Defiant Pro-Life Message at March For Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The White House \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vice President JD Vance delivered a forceful spiritual appeal at the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., telling tens of thousands of pro-life advocates that the debate over abortion is ultimately about whether America will choose God or fall back into paganism. Speaking from the National Mall on Friday, Vance praised<\/a> the Trump administration’s efforts on behalf of the pro-life movement and framed the issue far beyond politics, arguing it strikes at the heart of what kind of civilization the United States will become.<\/p>\n

Vance noted the administration’s recent decisions to pardon pro-life activists imprisoned for protesting at abortion clinics and to end federally funded experiments that used aborted fetal cells. He also highlighted policy proposals aimed at strengthening family life, such as expanding the child tax credit, incentivizing affordable housing for families, and creating special government child accounts with an initial $1,000 deposit<\/a> for children born between New Year’s Eve 2024 and New Year’s Day 2029.<\/p>\n

At one point, Vance referenced an academic paper he recently read about ancient brothels where archeologists discovered the remains of infants. “This is shocking to us because we grew up in a Christian culture and were formed by religious values,” Vance said. “Even those of us who aren’t particularly faithful, it’s a shocking thing to hear.” But he cautioned that what horrifies modern Americans was once commonplace in pagan societies. “We have to remember that in the ancient pagan world, discarding children was routine. From the skeletons in brothels, to the child sacrifice of the Mayans, the mark of barbarism is that we treat babies like inconveniences to be discarded rather than the blessings to cherish that they are.”<\/p>\n

Vance contrasted that with a culture shaped by scripture, pointing to Psalm 139, which declares that human life is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The March for Life, he argued, is not merely about one policy issue, but “whether we will remain a civilization under God or whether we ultimately return to the paganism that dominated the past.”<\/p>\n

He also pushed back on the cultural narrative that family and children are burdens. “The far left in this country tells our young people that marriage and children are obstacles\u2026 They tell us that life itself is a burden,” Vance said. “But we here at this march, we know it’s a lie. We know that life is a gift. We know that babies are precious, because we know them and we love them and we see the way that they can transform our families.”<\/p>\n

Family life, he added, is not only a source of joy, but “part of God’s design for men and women,” extending from the home outward to neighborhoods, communities, and the nation. “You’re never going to find great meaning in a cubicle or in front of a computer screen,” he said. “But you will find great meaning if you dedicate yourself to the creation and sustenance of human life.”<\/p>\n

The March for Life, the largest annual pro-life gathering in the country, drew national political attention once again, with video remarks from President Donald Trump and speeches from House Speaker Mike Johnson and several members of Congress. This year’s theme<\/a>, “Life is a Gift,” invited marchers to celebrate the beauty and goodness of life and recommit to defending it.<\/p>\n

March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter praised Vance’s return to the event, saying his presence underscored the movement’s influence within the broader conservative coalition and its enduring importance in shaping the culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vice President JD Vance delivered a forceful spiritual appeal at the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., telling tens of thousands of pro-life advocates that the debate over abortion is ultimately about whether America will choose God or fall back into paganism. Speaking from the National Mall on Friday, Vance praised the Trump…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":10261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n'Choose God or Paganism': JD Vance Delivers Defiant Pro-Life Message at March For Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vice President JD Vance tells March for Life crowd the abortion debate is a choice between God or paganism, calling life a precious gift.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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