Creighton University’s Students for Life (CSFL) have begun their preparations for the annual March for Life which will be held in Washington D.C. on Jan. 23, 2026.
On Oct. 23, CSFL announced their plans to attend the march.
“I guess the biggest thing is it really does align with our values first as a ‘students for life’ group that [advocates for] protection from conception to natural death. This is one of the most visible and public ways to demonstrate that.,” Josie Talley, College of Arts and Sciences senior and president of CSFL, said. “We do a lot of things as a club … on the local level that are equally as important … but coming together has also just been the most inspiring thing because it can be very discouraging at times when there are certain … losses or setbacks.”
CSFL is a pro-life student organization on campus that advocates human life throughout all of its stages. With the goal of advocating human dignity, they host numerous events throughout the year such as educational, volunteering or speaking engagement opportunities.
“Creighton Students for Life is an organization here on campus whose mission is to advocate for the dignity of all human beings – and in doing so, educate and converse with the students and faculty at Creighton and beyond,” Dierberger said via email.
According to the event’s official website, this national march advocates for the illegalization of abortion and the protection of the “beauty and dignity of human life,” with this year’s theme being “Life as a Gift.”
“The National March for Life takes place in Washington D.C. and is an opportunity for tens of thousands of pro-lifers to come together and acknowledge the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion throughout the United States. Despite Roe v. Wade being overturned, abortion regulation was passed to the states, and there is still plenty of work to be done. The pro-life movement continues to fight for the protection of human life from conception until natural death and the March for Life is essential for the movement,” Nate Dierberger, a Heider College of Business junior and March for Life co-coordinator, said via email.
Since 2004, CSFL has given the opportunity for students and faculty alike to join individuals nationwide in the pro-life movement. While the organization has served as a platform for individuals like Talley, who has participated in the march for six years, to continue their pro-life advocation in college. However, it has also given many others, like Dierberger, the chance to show support in a new and larger capacity than before.
“For me, personally, last year was my first year attending the march. I am Catholic and grew up going to Catholic school. I’ve always been pro-life and cared about the movement, but I never made it out to D.C. for the march. CSFL gave me the opportunity to do so last year and I’m grateful for that,” Dierberger said via email.
There are multiple components to the event. During the march itself, according to Talley, participants can expect to march alongside hundreds of others as they chant or pray their way through the streets of Washington, D.C., for a future in which all stages of human life are protected. In addition, prior to this, there is a rally where specific keynote speakers are invited to speak upon this topic from a personal perspective or share their message on the value of human life.
“Last year was Bethany Hamilton, the surfer … [That was] really just fascinating because I didn’t really know her story kind of connected to that pro-life thing, but she did talk a lot about her life and how she also really grew to appreciate her life more after her, I’m going to call it a traumatic incident … Before that, it was the daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who is a saint and a really cool Italian nurse, and she was talking about her mother’s experience of choosing life for her daughter … Often times there will be some sort of either senator, vice president or sometimes the president will send some sort of video [as well],” Talley said.
However, according to Talley, contrary to some perceptions, to be a supporter of the pro-life movement is not to simply support the illegalization of abortion, but to advocate for greater accessibility to support services after the birth of a child.
“I would say, 100%, I think we are at our best as pro-lifers when we are supporting women. It’s not that we just want a woman to choose life, but we want to give her all the resources to make it so easy for her to want to make that choice,” Talley said.
While advocating for more access to services after birth, Talley also acknowledges how the current lack in accessibility can shape the perspective of her pro-choice counterparts.
“I think, also sometimes a reason why someone might be pro-choice [is] because ‘this mother doesn’t have those supports,’” Talley said. “That can make it really difficult, and if we’re not giving mom supports, [motherhood] can be really hard without having services after birth.”
As the march date approaches, Talley and Dierberger hope that participants can gain a deeper understanding of this movement and the message it echoes. Additionally, according to Talley, she hopes that no matter an individual’s beliefs, the march will be understood for its pursuit of love and passion.
“As a pro-life person, I want to be seen as a force for good and a force for love, and I hope that when someone looks at the March for Life, they’re able to see a lot of people who are passionate about what they believe [in],” Talley said. “Even if someone doesn’t agree with us, I hope that they can see that we really believe in what we are doing and also are doing it out of love and want the best for everybody.”