(LifeSiteNews) — Former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson told attendees at the U.S. March for Life on Friday that although Roe v. Wade has been overturned there is still a need to “keep pressing on” so that abortion becomes unthinkable.
“Roe is done, but we still live in a culture that knows not how to care for life. Roe is done, but the factors that drive women to seek abortions are ever apparent and ever increasing,” Watson remarked.
A father of seven, Watson is one of the most well-known former NFL players to take a stand for the unborn. He has spoken at countless pro-life events and tirelessly worked to assist organizations that help women since and even many years before retiring in 2020.
Watson was introduced by University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team won the college football national championship earlier this month. Harbaugh described Watson as a “talented individual on the field” and a “talented, courageous, fearless leader off the field.”
Watson, 43, encouraged marchers to seek the assistance of God in their work and to keep fighting to provide lasting resources and support for women because abortion is “still legal and thriving in too much of America.”
“We must do justice not only by protecting innocent people in life but by correcting injustice and rebuilding opportunities so that mothers and fathers can flourish,” he said.
Watson also called on attendees to improve their communities when they return home.
“Men, in a country where too many of our marriages are crumbling, go back to your homes and fight for your families,” he said. “Civic leaders, in the current climate of compromise, go back to your committees and your communities and legislate for life and for justice.
“All of you front-line workers in pregnancy resource centers around the country, and other life-affirming organizations, go back to your post knowing that every encounter is not simply about saving one child, but you are saving generations. And all you young people, with all of your energy and all of your ingenuity, go back to your schools and go back to your teams and your churches. Be leaders that are unashamed to stand for life.”
Watson, who is also an author, enjoyed a successful 16-year career in the NFL. In 2005, he was a member of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots.