Denver, Colo., Apr 12, 2025 /
11:00 am
When Beverly Jacobson was five months pregnant, the doctors told her she should have an abortion. Jacobson’s daughter, Verity, had Edwards syndrome, a developmental condition that their specialist said was “incompatible with life.”
“He went on to say that if she survived, she would be a drain on the family mentally, emotionally, and financially,” Jacobson said on Friday.
But he was wrong. On Friday, Verity joined her mom on the steps of the state capitol as Jacobson addressed the Colorado March for Life.
“She is a gift from God,” Jacobson told the crowd of 3,500 pro-lifers gathered at the steps of the capitol building.
Jacobson has since founded a nonprofit called Mama Bear Care to support mothers and families who receive difficult pregnancy diagnoses.
The Colorado March for Life is one of 19 state marches run by the March for Life taking place this year. Colorado’s was organized jointly by the March for Life and Pro-Life Colorado.
Colorado — historically one of the most pro-abortion states in the country — just passed an abortion funding bill. If signed by the governor, $1.5 million in public funding would go to abortion annually for a program proponents say would save the government money by “averting births.”
During her speech, Tamra Axworthy, head of ACPC Life Services and Women’s Clinic, called the bill “eugenics disguised as public policy.”
Instead of supporting mothers and valuing life, “our lawmakers have decided that the cheaper option is to eliminate children before their first breath,” she said.
“That is not compassion. That is not justice.”
Pam Behler, the head of local pregnancy resource center My Choice Resource Center, shared that two young women recently came straight to the clinic from Planned Parenthood thanks to local pro-life sidewalk counselors.
One had come all the way to Vail, a mountain town, to have the abortion, but when she found out she was 13 weeks pregnant she came to the center and got an ultrasound.
“She was so happy,” Behler recalled.
Another young woman had been told she couldn’t do an ultrasound at Planned Parenthood unless she had an abortion.
(Story continues below)
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“We’re just praying, praying, praying for her to keep the baby,” Behler said.
Maria Carpenter, who now organizes abortion healing retreats at Deeper Still Pikes Peak, shared during her speech her experience healing from abortion and suicidal thoughts.
Carpenter said she had been minutes away from dying by suicide when she heard the phone ring. A co-worker she hadn’t heard from in years was calling to invite her to go to church with her.
Carpenter remembers tears running down her cheeks as she accepted “God’s invitation.”
“In my darkest hour, God saw me in my shame, my pain, and my lostness, and he pursued me,” she told the crowd. “I regret my abortions, but I now have my voice back.”
The front of the march was led by several school groups, many dressed in their uniforms, all chanting various slogans. Among the signs: “We are the pro-life generation and we will abolish abortion” and “We love babies, yes, we do!”
Several onlookers pulled out their phones to take photos of the large crowd making its way down Colfax.
Mark Baisley, a Republican state senator representing Colorado’s 4th Senate district, also spoke at the event, encouraging people to turn their hearts toward God.
Madeline Lamb, a young mom who lives in Littleton, said she came to the March for Life because she believes the cause is “not just a political issue.”
“This is legitimately a moral issue that we should all band together and fight for,” she told CNA.
Sister Mary Grace of the Sisters of Life — a well-known Catholic speaker who hails from Australia — reminded the audience of God’s presence, saying “every second that your heart beats, God is bestowing life into you.”
“Every human life is the icon of the divine, breaking into a dark world,” Sister Mary Grace said.
In 1967, Colorado became the first state to decriminalize abortion. Current state law allows abortion up until birth. Just last year, Coloradans passed an amendment enshrining a “right to abortion.” Now, the abortion funding bill that passed in the House and Senate is in the hands of state Gov. Jared Polis.
But Sister Mary Grace — and many other marchers — haven’t lost hope.
“God is breaking in,” Sister Mary Grace said.
Jennie Bradley Lichter, the new president of the national March for Life, spoke on the importance of marching for life, urging attendees: “Despite the challenging landscape, don’t be discouraged.”
“We know how this story ends. We know that life wins.”
Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez led a reflective closing prayer.
“We want the world and Denver to hear the silent noise of a baby in his or her mother’s womb, the newborn’s whimper, the laugh of children; but also to hear the faith of the sick and the wisdom of the elderly,” Rodriguez said.
“Such a richness, Lord, comes from your mind, your heart, and your hands.”
Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
