October 1, 2026
ATLANTA — Hundreds of pro-life Georgians gathered at the State Capitol on Thursday, March 12, for the 2026 Georgia March for Life, despite the cold temperatures and threat of rain. Speakers urged the crowd to defend unborn children, support mothers in crisis, and press forward with what keynote speaker David Bereit called renewed conviction in the post-Roe era.
“We are not fair-weather pro-lifers,” Bereit told the crowd. “We’re here out of conviction, not out of comfort.”
The event, emceed by Pastor Ivan Soto of Ciudad El Shaddai, opened with prayer from The Most Rev. Bernard E. Shlesinger III, auxiliary bishop of Atlanta, who called for compassion and care not only for unborn children but also for families affected by abortion, the disabled, the elderly, prisoners, and the seriously ill.
Several speakers shared personal testimony about abortion’s impact and the need for both truth and healing. Lauren Eden, who described herself as a “second-trimester, dilation and evacuation abortion survivor,” told the crowd she learned as a young adult that she had survived an attempted abortion after her mother visited multiple clinics and states seeking the procedure. Eden said her father opposed the plan and prayed for God to intervene, before describing what she called “miracle after miracle” that ultimately led her mother to stop the abortion process. Eden said she was born at 26 weeks, spent 53 days in the NICU, and later watched her parents marry. “I am living proof that every life matters,” she said.
Kathryn Siegel, PATH program administrator and director of Spanish outreach, recounted choosing an abortion in 1973. She described how she lived for years with buried grief and spiritual pain until she found healing through PATH. “Healing isn’t moving on with your life,” she said. “It’s about becoming whole, finding forgiveness, reconciliation, and inner peace.”
Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, told marchers the sanctity of life “is not something that protects itself.” Setzler said the ultimate pro-life decision in history was Mary’s “yes” to God, and he challenged participants to ask God to call them into sacrificial obedience, whether through public service or other forms of advocacy.
Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, said pro-life work must reflect “the whole spectrum of life,” from the beginning to the end. She shared a story about seeing life’s fragility and dignity through the birth of a grandson and the death of her mother later the same year.
Bereit, executive director of the Life Leadership Conference and founder and former CEO of 40 Days for Life, recalled standing at the California Capitol in June 2022 just before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs. “Two days later… the U.S. Supreme Court threw Roe versus Wade on the ash heap of human history,” he said. “Thanks be to God.”
But the post-Roe landscape, he argued, has revealed both progress and new challenges. Bereit said the court didn’t ban abortion, but sent the issue back to elected leaders, creating “50 unique state-by-state battles.” He said he has visited 47 states since Dobbs, seeing states where protections have increased and others where abortion access has expanded.
“Regrettably, after the overturn of Roe, abortions have actually gone up,” Bereit said. He noted the impact of travel between states and the growing use of abortion pills.
Bereit told the crowd, “Find your place in this movement,” and when you meet someone facing an unexpected pregnancy, convey “the most important four words that any of us as pro-lifers can say: ‘I will help you.’”
He said the abortion industry itself reports that many women who chose abortion would have preferred to choose life if they felt they had the emotional and financial support they needed.
The program also included remarks from Jeanne Bradley Lichter, president of March for Life and March for Life Action. She encouraged participants not to give way to discouragement and highlighted pregnancy resource centers as vital, daily front-line work. Lichter urged support for local centers through volunteering and material donations.
Kelbie Milon, executive director of The Refuge Center, told the crowd her first experience with a pregnancy center came as a client, when she was directed there for free services and met with compassion rather than judgment. She said the organization served nearly 1,000 unique clients last year through more than 4,000 visits, offering pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, fatherhood programs, and ongoing support.
The event closed with prayer from Jason Dees, senior pastor of Christ Covenant, who thanked God for the gift of life, prayed for the unborn and for women facing difficult circumstances, and asked for moral clarity and courage for lawmakers. Dees also called the church to back up public witness with tangible care through ministries that surround mothers and families “with love and support.”
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