Local group hosts annual March for Life in downtown Columbus

Chattahoochee Valley United for Life hosted Tuesday afternoon its annual March for Life in downtown Columbus.

Lincoln Brandenburg, one of the event’s organizers, said the Columbus rally is among the many pro-life events across the United States continuing the mission of the first March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 22, 1974.

“Our goal here is to memorialize and to draw attention to the children who are killed by abortion every year in our country, “ said Brandenburg.

Featured speaker Marckdaline Johnson shared the story of becoming pregnant at nineteen, and her decision to terminate her pregnancy by having an abortion.

“It wasn’t until years later that I started to really experience the heaviness, the weight of the abortion,” Johnson said, “and when I say that I mean the torment, the mental anguish, the discomfort when you see other women walking around with their babies.”

Johnson said she kept her abortion a secret to avoid others judging her. Now, she hopes to give people an opportunity and a platform to share their experiences. She encourages others to do the same, in hopes of creating more dialogue and perhaps saving more lives.

The event began with a rally at the Columbus Government Center, and concluded with a short march. Around 200 people participated in the rally and march. Organizers also hosted a lunch at Holy Family Catholic Church.

According to the organization’s Facebook page, the mission of Chattahoochee Valley United for Life “is to unite the people of the Chattahoochee Valley for the promotion and preservation of human life from conception to natural death through prayer, education, and non-violent civic activities.”