Vice President Pence’s attendance at the March for Life created a lot of hype about the event this January, but that wasn’t why my wife and I traveled to Washington, DC, to participate. We came to find out what being pro-life means to individuals in this movement.

We learned that the phrase is gaining new meaning for many young people across the nation. The talk from the stage may have been all about legislation, but on the ground in the crowd, people we spoke with were far more enthused about their work to support mothers and children. Few people would disagree that more needs to be done for our most vulnerable, but actually doing it takes work and sacrifice. We met the staff of crisis pregnancy centers, people from adoption agencies, and sidewalk counselors.

One young woman told us of a friend who was under intense pressure from her boyfriend to abort the child they had conceived. Conflicted, she called her youth leader, who connected her with some of the many organizations available to assist women in her situation. She kept the child, who is now doing well. The story epitomizes the spirit of the march: the rank and file of this movement is most concerned with lives, not legislation. The self-sacrifice and dedication of the people we met give us hope for a day when abortion really is unthinkable.

One great resource for this new generation of pro-lifers is Life Matters Journal, a nonsectarian, nonpartisan magazine addressing many forms of violence – not only abortion but also war, capital punishment, euthanasia, torture, and embryonic stem cell research.

Why the Death Penalty Must Die

American Christians are largely responsible for the continued existence of the death penalty in their country, according to Shane Claiborne’s book Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us. Claiborne and others, including Cynthia Vaughn, who forgave her father on death row for murdering her mother; Stacy Rector, director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty; and Jeannie Alexander, director of No Exceptions Prison Collective, appeared on the Tokens Show this February. Their conversation centered on exposing the illogicality of a system that kills those who kill to show that it’s wrong to kill, making space for forgiveness and God’s redemption, and promoting alternatives to the death penalty.

For decades now, Plough has partnered with members of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation to bring the voices of victims’ families into the public conversation. MVFR advocates for ending the death penalty and promotes restorative justice as the best way to heal the damage caused by violence and to create a safer, more compassionate, and more just society.