This year’s March for Life speeches opened with a celebration of the fall of Roe v. Wade — and a warning.

“Elective abortion became fully illegal in the state of Arkansas. Hallelujah, amen,” said obstetrician-gynecologist Sharai Amaya. “And yet, the threat of abortion is still crouching at our door. I am talking about the threat of abortion pills.”

Sunday marked the 48th iteration of the event, which began in the years after the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision enshrining the constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court overturned that decision in June 2022, and a near-total abortion ban went into effect immediately in Arkansas.

A crowd that included families, volunteers and obstetrician-gynecologists gathered at Little Rock’s State Street on the sunny but chilly afternoon, carrying signs that read “Love them both,” depicting a mother and an unborn child; “HUMAN RIGHTS BEGIN IN THE WOMB”; and “Women Do Regret Abortion.”

Anthony and Layla Gatlin of Traskwood have attended the march several times. “We’ve always been passionate about this,” Anthony Gatlin said.

Layla Gatlin called abortion “essentially murder” and said she thinks it’s “important to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

She added that she hoped to see “more men” get involved. “Men are designed by God to defend the weak and powerless,” Gatlin said. “Their purpose in life is to defend women and children. And children in the womb are just as important as children outside the womb.”

Henderson State University student Isabella Kinder was also among the marchers. Kinder said she was there to “stand up for the voiceless.”

At the time Roe was overturned, Kinder said, she “didn’t really understand what was going on.” After going to college, she said, she began to care about “educating myself in politics and current events.”

At 2 p.m., the group marched the seven blocks to the Capitol building, led and followed by police vehicles on the blocked-off road.

On the steps of the Capitol, Amaya, the obstetrician-gynecologist, was joined by a lineup that included religious leaders, anti-abortion advocates and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

One speaker, Catherine Pressly Herring, shared her experience of being secretly given the abortion pill multiple times by her ex-husband. Herring later testified before Arkansas lawmakers in support of House Bill 1551, which defined the offense of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud.” The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law by the governor in April.

Attorney General Tim Griffin said, “We’ve made amazing strides, obviously, with the Dobbs decision.”

“But the fight continues,” Griffin added, saying the pills were being shipped to Arkansas from places like New York and California.

A news release from the sponsoring group, Arkansas Right to Life, called the march a “peaceful and prayerful event that attracts thousands of Arkansans from across the state including churches and families to remember the estimated 60-plus million unborn children killed by legal abortion.”

The release noted Arkansas’ sixth consecutive “most pro-life state in the nation” designation by a national anti-abortion group.

Arkansas Abortion Support Network Executive Director Karen Musick wrote in a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “I would love to see the same number of people and churches come out to stand for the lives of the children we already have here in Arkansas.” Arkansas Abortion Support Network provides contraception, pregnancy tests, parenting resources and support for out-of-state travel for abortions.

“I would love to see that same energy directed toward lowering our state’s maternal mortality rate and addressing the infant mortality rates that have been rising since abortion was fully banned in Arkansas,” Musick wrote. “Can those issues be discussed peacefully and prayerfully as well?”

Arkansas’ maternal and infant mortality rates are among the nation’s highest, and a 2025 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked Arkansas 45th nationwide in overall child well-being based on economic well-being, education, health and family and community.

Musick wrote: “If Arkansas truly values life, then we must commit to policies and practices that support people through pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond — not just in words, but through access to healthcare, nutrition, housing, and economic security.”