WASHINGTON — After being named the president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, Jeanne Monahan says she plans to increase the annual pro-life march's appeal to young people.
Monahan said in a Nov. 20 interview with Catholic News Agency that her “immediate goal is to do the best job possible to commemorate this somber 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which is rapidly hitting us here in January, to do what we can to make the rally very youth-accessible and interesting and to make the march as fruitful as possible.”
The fund organizes and runs the annual March for Life in Washington, which will be held Jan. 25, 2013, on the National Mall.
Monahan, who was unanimously approved by the fund’s board on Nov. 16, said her ultimate goal is to work herself “out of a job.”
She sees her position as more than just running “the largest pro-life event in the world, but to be making a difference in terms of impacting a culture of life every single day, not only around the anniversary of Roe.”
“My long-term goal … is to utilize the education piece of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.”
Monahan joined the March for Life board in June “with every intention of staying” at her job with the Family Research Council. But when the organization‘s founder, Nellie Gray, died in August, Monahan was made the interim president.
Monahan previously served as director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council; before that, she worked in various capacities at the Department of Health and Human Services. She holds a master's in theological studies from The Catholic University of America.
“Jeanne is a strong pro-life advocate who will continue the strong leadership of Nellie Gray and bring us closer to a culture of life,” said Patrick Kelly, chairman of the board of directors. “The board and I are very much looking forward to working with Jeanne in this new, full-time capacity and are looking forward to our largest march in history this January.”
2013 March
Monahan said that January‘s event will utilize jumbotrons and will be succinct, lasting roughly an hour. A handful of legislators will speak, and they will be “leaders on both sides of the political aisle who are pro-life.”
Monahan also intends to have a celebrity speaker, as well as music that will be “interesting and engaging” for young people.
“One major goal I have … is to get all of the participants to do some kind of act of lobbying on the Hill while they're here; not only to peacefully protest, but to make an appointment with their legislators and to go and talk to them about the necessity of pro-life legislation and to do so in a positive and compelling way.”
The new president also wants to focus specifically on helping young people lobby their legislators. “We'll do everything we can to engage media in a positive way and to raise as much awareness about the fact that abortion is the human-rights issue of today,” she said.
Monahan noted the March of Life Fund is launching a more “savvy” social-media campaign by updating their Facebook page, better utilizing Twitter and reaching out to youth with new media.
Monahan sees a great deal of hope for the pro-life movement going forward because “young people are overwhelmingly pro-life. … They have their finger on the pulse that this truly does destroy a human life.”
Asked about the future of the pro-life movement, she said that “one thing I think is critical moving forward is that we show abortion is bad for women … that we use truth and technology and science all to our advantage. All we need to do with the abortion issue is bring it into the light.”
She cited advances in ultrasound technology and understanding of fetal pain as factors that have enlightened young people about the truth behind abortion.
Monahan emphasized that she plans to “do everything I can to show the fallacy” of the slogans that abortion is a “so-called right for women and good for women's health.”
“Abortion is not good for women and obviously not good for the babies who aren't allowed a right to life.”
As she looks ahead to January, Monahan gets “the sense that the way Providence has played out ... this is going to be a very important year for the March for Life, for people peacefully protesting.”
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Our Christian Faith is a blend of the Divine and the human. The Divine never fails us, but we have to believe that and express that belief in unceasing prayers. We also believe in the sanctity of human life, and to express that Christian belief FULLY, we need to express it in a way that our fellow humans understand: the annual March for Life is a preeminent way to do that to show the current Administration that we mean business—I challenge my fellow Christians to do that and participate in the next January 2013 so that at least there will be one million marchers! I am 76 years old, count me in as one of the marchers! EWTN and all related organizations have done a good job but our public national mass media have turned a deaf ear until there are one million marchers in Washington DC Jan 2013! Catholics have existing networking, have a good organization from the Vatican all the way to the diocese and parishes, yet it is only recently that I came across EWTN and NC Register, although I am have been a regular weekly church goer all my life! John Nurman, Phoenix, AZ.
Doing God’s work is great BUT there isn’t enough asking Him to take over and stop the devil’s work!! This is a battle between God and the devil that we’re experiencing. The devil has convinced many that evil is the way to go and he “butters” it up making it look like a game. These who want killing, thievery, corruption of our soil and seas——they are all making MONEY on it. The devil knows human fraility.
We who know it’s evil are not asking God’s help. No need to march, make signs, go to court——just ASK GOD TO TAKE OVER AND DEFEAT THE DEVIL
PLEASE GOD ENLIGHTEN YOUR PEOPLE
PLEASE GOD HELP US DEFEAT THE DEVIL
Please give me information how to donate for the January 2013 pro-life march. John Nurman, Phoenix, AZ
Welcome to the helm Jeanne. Please move the March to the Saturday closest to the Roe versus Wade anniversary date - we could put 1 Million People on the Mall each and every year. Even MSNBC could not ignore such a witness.
Jeanne, you have a precious job to handle, the lives of millions of babies to save. I believe James Ignatius is right about making the March for Life a weekend event, Saturday or Sunday, since so many more people could make the Life Pilgrimage to DC and other places. The media ignoring pro-life events is a fact we should also try to change.
I’m sure many people have been anxious to attend but find the dates difficult. For some it would take a long weekend to make the voyage. Maybe a mandatory trip (or certainly a good incentive) for all Catholic high school & college kids would bring in more youth participation. Fund raisers could be started with bake sales, car washes, raffles, special collections, bingo games and business sponsorships.
I wish you all the best, and my prayers that you are able to make this a bigger & better event every year. God’s blessings to you & all those involved.
I can only speak for someone i know at Notre Dame—more young people would go but for the embarrassment of being there with the president of the university. Some of them feel his presence negates theirs, so they are not going.
I think the March for Life is a moving, beautiful witness for life and I am proud to have participated. It is a powerful show of solidarity and a community-building experience for Pro-lifers. It is a pilgrimage.
Having said that, I have often imagined a different approach one year… Rather than have 200,000 march in Washington past offices of politicians and media folk who both have made a habit of ignoring us, have people march concurrently in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and LA, 50-80,000 people in each march. Pro-lifers who can’t make the multi-day trip to DC could participate that way. I think more people could experience what it is to march with tens of thousands of fellow Pro-lifers, and I imagine these marches wouldn’t get buried on page 8 of the Times or the Tribune like the MFL in DC always does… Sometimes I fear the focus on Washington hasn’t proven successful, esp in light of Justice Robert’s embrace of the health care mandate.
Anyway, I just had to share.
Ms Monahan, may the Lord bless you in your work! The March for Life in Washington is a tremendous legacy and a touchstone for American Pro-Life people.
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