March for Life: 5 interesting facts about the annual pro-life gathering

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Wednesday, January 17, 2024

When was the largest March?

Thousands gather at the 2013 March for Life at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. | The Christian Post

Counting the number of people at any rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., can be a tricky effort, especially in recent years as local officials no longer make an effort to keep track.

In 1995, the National Park Service was sued by the organizers of the Million Man March when the government body announced that the estimated number of attendees was around 400,000. Since then, the NPS refuses to release specific estimated numbers for any gathering.

As a result, reported numbers for any March for Life rally, especially since the 1990s, can be challenging and often vary depending on the ideological biases of the source.

All that said, the 2013 March for Life is a good candidate for the largest gathering for the annual observance, with some estimating that around 650,000 people attended the event.