‘They chose life’: More than one hundred join ‘March for Life’ in Concord opposing abortion

The crowd braved the snowy weather for the pro life rally and march from the State House on Saturday, Jan. 11.

The crowd braved the snowy weather for the pro life rally and march from the State House on Saturday, Jan. 11. GEOFF FORESTER / Concord Monitor

About 200 supporters gather in front of the New Hampshire State House on a snowy Saturday to advocate against abortion in the annual March for Life.

About 200 supporters gather in front of the New Hampshire State House on a snowy Saturday to advocate against abortion in the annual March for Life. Charlotte Matherly—MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT

Grace Thibault (left), and Faith Hohenadel bravd the snowy weather for the pro-life rally and march from the State House on Saturday, Jan. 11.

Grace Thibault (left), and Faith Hohenadel bravd the snowy weather for the pro-life rally and march from the State House on Saturday, Jan. 11. GEOFF FORESTER / Concord Monitor

Rebekah Fox (right) marches down South Main Street in Concord with two of her adopted siblings, who she said inspired her to join the anti-abortion movement.

Rebekah Fox (right) marches down South Main Street in Concord with two of her adopted siblings, who she said inspired her to join the anti-abortion movement. Charlotte Matherly / MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT

People who walked in the March for Life in Concord place flower petals into a small coffin, symbolizing the lives they believe are lost to abortion.

People who walked in the March for Life in Concord place flower petals into a small coffin, symbolizing the lives they believe are lost to abortion. Charlotte Matherly / MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT

Mark Saffine traveled from Whitefield to attend the pro-life rally and march on Saturday, Jan. 11.

Mark Saffine traveled from Whitefield to attend the pro-life rally and march on Saturday, Jan. 11. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

A crowd braves the snowy weather for a pro-life rally and march from the State House on Saturday.

A crowd braves the snowy weather for a pro-life rally and march from the State House on Saturday. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

By CHARLOTTE MATHERLY

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 01-14-2025 1:35 PM

Marching down Main Street in Concord on a snowy, slushy Saturday, Rebekah Fox was surrounded by her family. They walked together, with more than 100 other people, to advocate against abortion in New Hampshire’s annual March for Life.

Fox was joined by two of her three adopted siblings, who she said inspired them to join the movement. She’s thankful their biological parents chose adoption instead of abortion.

“If their parents didn’t have them, my life would never have been changed by loving them and knowing them,” said Fox, who lives in Salem. She’s an organizer for New Hampshire Right to Life, which puts on the march.

By her side was her husband, James, and their 2-year-old daughter, Hannah, who Fox carried on her shoulders.

James shares his wife’s convictions and said having Hannah changed his life.

“How much better I think my life has been since having her is so profound. She changed who I am,” he said. “To think that some people think that children are a burden or will ruin their lives and will want to kill this child who was made so lovingly, it brings tears to my eyes sometimes.”

Before marching to Christ the King Parish, a crowd gathered in front of the State House. The theme, organizers said, was to empower women to carry their pregnancies to term.

Celeste Horan, the director of operations for St. Gianna’s Place, a Londonderry-based homeless shelter for mothers and their children, said she’s worked with several women who were given an ultimatum by their families to either have an abortion or move out. When they had the option of St. Gianna’s Place, she said, “they chose life.”

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Horan urged the crowd to keep “empowering women to have their babies” by donating to anti-abortion organizations, praying in front of Planned Parenthood clinics or volunteering at pregnancy care centers.

“I used to joke that one of the hardest parts of my job as a caseworker was to get a woman to accept a compliment, but it was true,” Horan said. “Part of why women are not empowered to choose life is because they don’t even think that their life is worth it.”

Others came to support anti-abortion legislation, like Wolfeboro Rep. Katy Peternel. New Hampshire currently allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, which Peternel believes is “unacceptable” and too long.

She plans to introduce a “pro-life bill,” she said, but declined to say what restrictions it’d put in place. Republicans hold solid control of the Legislature and corner office, but Gov. Kelly Ayotte has pledged to veto any effort to further restrict abortion in the state.

“Abortion is the only issue that is being dismissed as a priority with the Republican trifecta,” Peternel said. “Not only are they marginalizing the unheard voices of the pre-born, they’re marginalizing you. You’re being told that your vote does not matter.”

Jason Hennessey, president of NH Right to Life, said in an interview that his organization is supporting other legislation surrounding the issue, like “healthcare conscience” bill that would allow doctors to refuse to provide treatment if it went against their personal beliefs, and one that would require parental permission before aiding a minor in getting an abortion.

Democrats, who are solidly in the minority this session, have yet to file legislation to expand abortion access or protections in the state., which would face dim odds.

Not all rally-goers pay close attention to abortion’s political future in New Hampshire. Grace Thibault and Faith Hohenadel, both college students, said they just came because they believe life is “the most fundamental right.”

Hohenadel used to go to a Catholic college, then transferred to Southern New Hampshire University. For a final exam, she wrote an essay in defense of the anti-abortion movement and presented it to her class, which she said was “scary.” Most people didn’t ask her any questions, she said, but the ones that did came at her trying to fact-check her argument and asked, “What about a woman’s right to choose?”

“The environment there is not very pro-life,” Hohenadel said of the college.

Several other college students and recent alumni attended the rally, too, holding signs that said: “I am the pro-life generation.” When speakers advocated for bringing more young people into the movement, they were met with applause.

While most people are focused on abortion, Hennessey said, the cause is more expansive. It’s also about making sure that women have the resources they need to have their babies so they don’t feel like they have to get an abortion.

“There is a lot of different aspects to the pro-life movement, and I think a lot of people see it as this kind of tug-of-war in the Legislature,” Hennessey said. “It’s much bigger than that.”

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.