WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-life Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) addressed a shivering but dedicated mass gathering of pro-lifers Friday in the nation’s capital, offering assurances of congressional Republican leadership’s commitment to the pro-life cause.
The 2026 March for Life is rallying on the National Mall before marching to the U.S. Supreme Court, to “celebrate life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, and every moment in between” and to “envision a world where these moments are celebrated, valued, and protected by everybody – both in the private sector and in the public sphere.”
Once again appearing before the gathering was Smith, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. Smith has been the leading force behind numerous pro-life measures over his 46 years in office, including the Smith Amendment (which bars elective abortion funding in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program), the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (which would ban abortion starting at roughly 20 weeks), and the Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act (which would ban government discrimination against pregnancy care centers due to their pro-life values).
Rep. Chris Smith goes SCORCHED EARTH on the abortion pill.
“The abortion pill, mifepristone, is baby poison… We now know that the abortion bill—we’ve long suspected this–is EXTREMELY dangerous to women”
Pro choicers can go cry because abortion is OUT in 2026. pic.twitter.com/HB6UKne2k3
— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) January 23, 2026
Speaking in front of a group of lawmakers sharing the stage, Smith claimed that the GOP’s current leadership was the “most pro-life” and “committed” he had seen in his long career, starting with the “lion-hearted” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. He described themselves as “more committed and more impatient” to see life protected than ever.
READ: Trump says ‘battle’ to build culture of life ‘must be won’ in video address to March for Life
Smith next touted the more than 2,700 pregnancy resource centers across the United States, which he called “oas[es] of love, empathy and compassion” for offering women in need life-affirming support and options. He lamented the abortion lobby’s “all-out effort to shutter them,” despite overwhelming bipartisan support for them – 84 percent, according to a newly-released Marist Poll.
He then described the abortion pill mifepristone as “baby poison” that “works by starvation” and is also “extremely dangerous to women,” citing an April 2025 analysis by the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) which concluded that almost 11 percent of women suffer sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other major conditions after taking it. Smith noted past administrations’ suppression of the medical evidence for the pill’s risks, but did not delve into the ongoing controversy about the Trump administration’s inaction on the issue.
Instead, the congressman highlighted the newly announced expansion of the Mexico City Policy, which bars tax dollars from funding abortions abroad, to also disqualify organizations that promote “gender ideology” and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
“Thanks to your efforts and your prayers, many children and their mothers are being and will be protected,” Smith told the crowd in conclusion.
A full list of March for Life speakers and events can be found here. Please stay tuned to LifeSiteNews throughout the day for coverage of this event.
