PROVIDENCE — Never again, the young woman vowed. Not by bus.
She boarded one as a high school senior in January 2013, along with several other Pro-Life Rhode Islanders, to take part in her first March for Life in Washington, D.C. Successfully completing the same-day, round-trip journey to our nation’s capital required a few temporary sacrifices—long, mostly sleepless hours and cold, cramped conditions among them.
Being there wasn’t the issue. On the contrary, she jumped at the chance to rejoin the march two years ago, opting then for a more convenient, roughly one-hour flight to D.C from T.F. Green. Today, however, Lydia Bartlett can laugh at the promise she once made to her younger self. Because this January 23, she not only plans to participate in her third March for Life, but also to get there and back by bus. “It’s funny how things happen … Here I am, organizing the trip!”
Each January since 1974, exactly one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton legalized on-demand abortion procedures nationwide, Pro-Life advocates have gathered in Washington to lobby lawmakers for the protection of the rights of unborn children. Routinely numbering in the tens of thousands, those who fill the streets of D.C. make March for Life the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration.
Historically, the Diocese of Providence often spearheaded daytrips for locals like Bartlett to join the movement. When that tradition faded due to 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, Barth Bracy began hearing growing laments about its absence and calls to resurrect it. In his role as Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Right to Life Committee (RIRTL), he decided to do just that this year, putting Bartlett, now an RIRTL staff member, in charge of logistics.
“When you’re Pro-Life, especially in Rhode Island, you might feel like you’re a lone voice. But you go down there,” remarks Bracy, who’s attended more Marches than he can remember, “and you’re just surrounded with people, and you don’t feel alone anymore. It just lifts your spirits.”
“It’s a transformational experience, particularly for young people,” Bracy adds. “Every time I go, just to see the number of young people—because the narrative you get from Hollywood or the media is that young people are on the other side of this issue—it’s mind-blowing. God is doing something amazing with young people, and I want to make sure to fan that spark into a flame.”
One young Rhode Islander whose Pro-Life passions have been enflamed is David de la Cruz Jr., a sophomore at Warwick’s Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope. He’ll turn 17 in February, but not before he embarks on the RIRTL-led bus trip to this year’s March for Life. A pair of de la Cruz’s classmates and his two younger brothers will join him.
“In the Bible, the Ten Commandments, it says, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ And I believe that extends to all forms of life, no matter how small,” explains de la Cruz. “Honestly, it’s kind of sickening to see people defend the murder of innocent, unborn people. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. I want to be there and show that there are people in this generation who care about this, because that’s important. I’m most excited just to be able to do my part.”
Decades of Pro-Life marches appear to have made a desired impact. In June 2022, the latest iteration of the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, effectively overturning the Roe ruling by returning the abortion issue to the state level. Yet, with hundreds of thousands of abortion procedures still performed each year in the U.S. alone, Bracy insists the annual March for Life remains necessary to help change not just laws, but also the culture in the country.
“In our form of government, where we’re ruled by the consent of the governed, we have to make it clear that we don’t consent to abortion. If we don’t make our voices heard, then we can’t realistically expect Pro-Life policies. And it’s working. Quite frankly, I never thought, and most people my age never thought, we’d see Roe v. Wade overturned in our lifetime. But guess what? It was overturned. So, we make our voices heard. We give witness. Because of all the sacrifices people make to get there, marching in the cold, it’s winning graces that are powerful.”
While this march will be his first, de la Cruz believes he understands the inconveniences involved and will endure them willingly.
“When I know I’m doing something important, I lock in. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m going to Washington, D.C. to represent my school, my state, my family, and my faith, and we’re going to stand up for the right thing.’ And, I guess, if I need to, I can sleep on the bus.”
As of this printing, Bartlett says several students, families, and older individuals have already signed up, though some seats remain. Tickets are $100 for adults age 35 and older, and half that price for anyone younger than 35. For those who wish to join but need financial assistance, sponsored seats are available free of charge.
For more information about RIRTL’s January 23 bus trip to the 2026 March for Life in Washington, D.C., please contact Lydia Bartlett at (401) 521-1860, extension 6.
