Boise March for Life set for January 24 amid ballot initiative concerns

Pro-life advocates assemble on the Capitol steps in Boise during the March for Life Rally in 2025. (ICR photo/Philip Janquart)

By Emily Woodham

Staff Writer

The 2026 Mass and March for life is scheduled for Saturday, January 24.

This year’s theme is “Support Her, Protect Them.”

“It’s so important to do both: to support the mother and protect the babies, just as our bishops have led us to do,” said Emily Naugle, president of Right to Life of Idaho. “We need to keep working so all babies may be welcomed in love and protected in law.”

A Mass for Life is at 11 a.m. that day at St. John’s Cathedral, located at 807 N. 8th St in downtown Boise.

The March for Life, presented by Right to Life of Idaho, will follow the Mass. It begins at 1 p.m. from the Gene Harris Bandshell at Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise. The march ends with the rally at the Capitol steps at 1:30 p.m.

Matt Britton, Esq. is the keynote speaker for the rally. He is the general counsel and ex-officio for the 40 Days for Life Institute for Law and Justice. He has served as an elected prosecutor for four terms and as a county attorney. He has also served as counsel to many not-for-profits and U.S. companies operating globally. He is an international speaker on a wide range of legal and pro-life issues.

The rally will focus on the “Decline to Sign” campaign of Right to Life of Idaho (RTLI). The campaign challenges the ballot initiative for the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act (RFPA). The RFPA would permit late-term abortions, abortions to be performed on minors without parental consent, and allow children to have sex change drugs and surgeries, according to the RTLI website, rtli.org.

“‘Decline to Sign’ has goals of first and foremost making known that the RFPA exists and how it is a grievous assault to the dignity of the unborn,” Naugle said. “Sadly, we will most likely see the RFPA on our Idaho ballots in November. If the RFPA passes, all pro-life protections and laws will be made null and void in Idaho, and barbaric second trimester abortions will be legal.”

Naugle said that solidarity among pro-life advocates is crucial this year. “Attending the Boise March for Life is more important than ever because it kicks off 2026 as the year Idaho fights for its life. As Mother Angelica said, ‘Let no one call to death someone God has called to life.’”

The March and Rally for Life will continue no matter the weather. Participants are encouraged to bring positive, “family friendly” signs in support of the right to life.

Some pro-life organizations will have signs to distribute. Restrooms are located in the Capitol. Immediately after the Life Rally on the Capitol steps, a cookie reception is being hosted in the basement of St. John’s Cathedral.

For more information, visit rtli.org.