March for Life (Left), Alison Girone (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // The March for Life will soon welcome pro-life advocate Jennie Bradley Lichter as its new president. She is the first mother to serve in the role.
Lichter succeeds Jeanne Mancini, who has served as president for 12 years. She will assume the office Feb. 1, 2025. The Notre Dame University and Harvard Law School alumna has extensive legal experience. From 2019 to 2021, Lichter served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council for President Donald Trump.
In an email interview with CatholicVote, Lichter shared what inspired her pro-life beliefs and how she faces challenges in her advocacy work.
CatholicVote: What experiences in life led to your pro-life beliefs?
Lichter: I am lucky that I grew up in a family with strong pro-life beliefs, which were passed down to me from when I was young. My mother raised eight children (I’m the oldest) while volunteering for pro-life organizations along the way, and she still does. My father recently retired after a long career as a law professor, and for decades he dedicated considerable time and energy toward pro-life legal strategy. By the grace of God and the good example of my parents, my beloved grandmother (who was a longtime volunteer in the pro-life movement), and others, my belief in the inherent dignity of unborn human life has never wavered. As an adult, my pro-life commitments were cemented all the more through the experience of carrying my own children. A pro-life slogan that was popular when I was growing up reminds us that “abortion stops a beating heart.” Hearing the beating hearts of my children in utero, starting early in pregnancy, really drove home for me that truth.
CV: When did you first become involved in pro-life advocacy?
Lichter: I have a long history in pro-life advocacy, which has taken different forms at different points in my life. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, my family participated in local pro-life demonstrations and events in my hometown. In college, I had my first opportunity to come to Washington and attend my first National March for Life. My first job after college was as a junior research assistant on life issues, among other things, at an advocacy organization in DC. And as a lawyer and policy advisor for the past 15 years, I’ve had a number of opportunities to work on pro-life legal, policy, and strategy issues, including in the White House. In my most recent role, at Catholic University, I founded and directed a program to support pregnant and parenting students, staff, and faculty — the Guadalupe Project.
On a more personal note, my unshakeable conviction about the tragedy of abortion and my deep compassion for other women spring from my experiences as a mother. I know from experience that pregnancy and motherhood, while full of joy, can also present challenges. My heart is with every woman who must face those inevitable challenges under difficult or unforeseen circumstances. I’m committed to doing everything possible to support mothers, no matter the circumstances of their pregnancy. And I also want to make sure that young women know that, contrary to what they may be told, having children is not at odds with women’s flourishing and fulfillment. I am more fulfilled, both personally and professionally, with my husband and my children alongside me.
CV: What motivates you to keep fighting for life when you’re facing a huge obstacle or challenge?
Lichter: I don’t think there’s any room for discouragement in this line of work. Christ has won the victory, and the culture of life will prevail in the end — maybe not immediately, but we’ll get there. I take a lot of peace and confidence from from taking the long view and knowing that we’re working for a cause that is truly righteous.
In the meantime, anytime we run up against a legislative or political or cultural obstacle, I look at it as a call to work harder and keep sharing our message of hope: life is a gift, the unborn deserve to be protected, and mothers must be supported, no matter their circumstances.
CV: What do you envision for the future of the March for Life?
Lichter: First and foremost, we will continue to plan and host the National March for Life every year — keeping the tradition alive of the world’s longest-running and largest annual human rights demonstration. The March is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the pro-life movement to gather together so that pro-life Americans can draw encouragement and support from one another — and have a lot of fun together! It’s also an important witness to our fellow Americans that the pro-life movement is still motivated, vocal, visible, and full of hope and joy. Hosting the National March for Life will always be our No. 1 priority.
Beyond that, we will continue to communicate with clarity and compassion about the dignity and humanity of the unborn; we will emphasize the importance of wrapping around moms with support, resources, and love, and we will grow our state march program, where we bring the energy and drive and advocacy of the March for Life to state capitals across the country. I also anticipate continuing to enhance the reputation of the March for Life organization as a key strategic ideas-generator and thought-partner as we move into a new political and legal landscape in the next presidential administration.
