About Walk for Life West Coast
The Walk for Life West Coast is an annual pro-life rally and march held in San Francisco, California, on a Saturday on or near January 22 — the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. Founded in 2005 by longtime San Franciscans Dolores Meehan and Eva Muntean, both devout Catholics, the Walk has grown from a few thousand participants into what organizers call the second-largest pro-life event in the United States, regularly drawing tens of thousands down Market Street. While its leadership and many participants are Catholic, the Walk is deliberately non-sectarian and welcomes people of all ages, races, and creeds who share a respect for life. The event is paired with a Vigil Mass, a Walk for Life Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of San Francisco, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Silent No More Awareness Campaign for those harmed by abortion.
Mission
To be a vocal and visual message that people of the West Coast stand for life; to reach out to women harmed by abortion; and to inform society of the damage done to women by abortion. Founded 'to change the perceptions of a society that thinks abortion is ever the answer.'
- Founded
- 2005
- Founder
- Dolores Meehan and Eva Muntean (co-founders/co-chairs)
- Leader
- Eva Muntean (co-chair and co-founder; media contact). Dolores Meehan is the other co-chair/co-founder.
- Reach
- Held in downtown San Francisco with a route down Market Street to Civic Center Plaza; regularly draws tens of thousands of participants (estimated as high as 50,000 in recent years), described by organizers as the second-largest pro-life event in the United States after the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Participants travel from across California and as far away as Alaska, Florida, and Washington State.
- Serves
- All people who share a respect for life from conception to natural death — particularly women and men harmed by abortion — including Catholics, evangelical Christians, African-American pro-life activists, feminists, college and high-school students, and families from across California and the western United States.
Mission & Purpose
The Walk for Life West Coast describes itself as a 'vocal and visual message that people of the West Coast stand for life,' with three explicit goals: protest abortion peacefully each year; reach out to women harmed by abortion; and inform society about the damage abortion does to women. The organization was founded 'to change the perceptions of a society that thinks abortion is ever the answer' and frames the march as a joyful celebration of life rather than a conventional protest. The 2025 Walk was organized around Pope Francis's Jubilee Year of Hope theme, drawing on his words that 'the desire of young people to give birth to new sons and daughters as a sign of the fruitfulness of their love ensures a future for every society.'
- Peaceably protest abortion in San Francisco each year on or near January 22
- Reach out to women harmed by abortion
- Inform society of the damage done to women by abortion
- Change perceptions that abortion is 'ever the answer'
What We Do: The Annual Walk
Each year since 2005, the Walk for Life West Coast has gathered pro-lifers in downtown San Francisco for a rally and a roughly 1.8-mile march. In recent years the route has filled Civic Center Plaza and stretched wall-to-wall down Market Street. The rally typically begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Walk itself at 1:30 p.m. While the first Walk followed the Embarcadero waterfront to Marina Green, the modern route centers on Market Street in the heart of the city. Walkers of all ages, backgrounds, races, and creeds are welcomed — most organizers and a large share of participants are people of faith, but the event is intentionally non-sectarian.
- 12:30 p.m. — Rally begins at Civic Center Plaza
- 1:30 p.m. — Walk proceeds down Market Street
- ~1.8-mile route through downtown San Francisco
Founding & Early History (2005–2007)
The first Walk for Life West Coast was held on Saturday, January 22, 2005, drawing more than 7,000 pro-lifers to Justin Herman Plaza. Speakers rallied the crowd before participants walked peacefully along the Embarcadero, past Pier 39, and on to Marina Green, despite heckling and four arrests as pro-choice counter-protesters attempted to drown them out. The 2006 Walk doubled in size to an estimated 15,000 participants arriving from as far away as Alaska and Florida. The third Walk (2007) continued that growth trajectory as the event established its place on the West Coast pro-life calendar.
- 2005 (1st annual): ~7,000+ walkers, Justin Herman Plaza → Marina Green
- 2006 (2nd annual): ~15,000 walkers from across the U.S.
- 2007 (3rd annual): continued growth along the Embarcadero route
Growth & the Move to Market Street
By 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle estimated that at least 10,000 people were being bused in from across California and beyond. In January 2011, more than 40,000 people gathered for the seventh annual Walk in downtown San Francisco — a record at the time. As attendance grew, the route migrated from the Embarcadero waterfront inward to Market Street and Civic Center Plaza, allowing many more people to participate along the city's main artery.
- 2008: ~10,000 bused in from across California and beyond
- 2011 (7th annual): more than 40,000 gathered downtown
- Migration from Embarcadero to Market Street / Civic Center Plaza route
Recent Years (2021–2025)
On January 23, 2021, the Walk was observed by thousands in spite of pandemic conditions; a Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone with 12 priests, and Father Joseph Fessio, S.J. gave a tribute to the late Joe Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League. Subsequent years returned the Walk to full scale; recent attendance has been estimated as high as 50,000 people. The 21st annual Walk took place on Saturday, January 25, 2025, featuring speakers Ryan Bomberger, Sister Deirdre 'Dede' Byrne, Kelly Lester, and Rev. Clenard Childress Jr.
- 2021: Walk for Life Mass celebrated by Archbishop Cordileone with 12 priests
- 2024: estimated attendance ~50,000
- 2025 (21st annual): themed around the Jubilee Year of Hope
Catholic Liturgies & Devotions
The Walk is the centerpiece of a full Catholic weekend organized with the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The Vigil Mass is held at St. Dominic's Catholic Church (2390 Bush Street) and is livestreamed on EWTN; it includes Evening Prayer with the Dominican community, the Mass itself, and a Holy Hour with Confessions. Eucharistic Adoration for Life is held at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church (666 Filbert Street, North Beach). The Walk for Life Mass is celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption (1111 Gough Street) by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and is livestreamed on the Archdiocese's YouTube channel. A Knights of Columbus BBQ for all participants follows the march at Star of the Sea Catholic Church (4420 Geary Blvd).
- Friday Vigil Mass — St. Dominic's, 2390 Bush St (livestreamed on EWTN)
- Friday Night Eucharistic Adoration — Saints Peter and Paul, 666 Filbert St
- Walk for Life Mass — Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption (Archbishop Cordileone, livestreamed)
- Knights of Columbus BBQ — Star of the Sea, 4420 Geary Blvd
Silent No More Awareness Campaign & Info Faire
Immediately before the rally, Civic Center Plaza hosts the Silent No More Awareness Campaign — a public witness gathering of women and men who have been harmed by abortion and now share their stories, along with the clergy who walk alongside them. The Info Faire runs in parallel, bringing together dozens of pro-life and pregnancy-resource ministries, post-abortion healing programs, and educational organizations so that walkers can learn how to support mothers, families, and abortion-victim advocates year-round.
- Silent No More Awareness Campaign — speakers harmed by abortion
- Info Faire — pregnancy-resource centers, post-abortion healing ministries, educational organizations
Leadership & Co-Founders
The Walk was co-founded and is co-chaired by Dolores Meehan and Eva Muntean, both longtime San Franciscans who met while volunteering at an AIDS hospice run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Eva Muntean has long served as the organization's president/co-chair and primary media spokesperson; she has also been associated with Ignatius Press in San Francisco. Dolores Meehan is a fourth-generation San Franciscan. Both are described in early press coverage as 'devout Catholics' who explicitly set out to make the Walk non-sectarian and broadly inclusive across races, religions, and political backgrounds.
- Eva Muntean — co-chair, co-founder, media contact ([email protected])
- Dolores Meehan — co-chair, co-founder, fourth-generation San Franciscan
- Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone — regular celebrant of the Walk for Life Mass
- Clergy involvement: Dominican friars, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J. (tribute to Joe Scheidler, 2021)
Speakers (Selected)
The Walk's annual rally regularly features a mix of national pro-life leaders, post-abortion healing ministers, clergy, doctors, and advocates from the African-American pro-life movement. Past headline speakers include Ryan Bomberger (adoption and life advocate), Sister Deirdre 'Dede' Byrne, a Little Worker of the Sacred Hearts and former U.S. Army colonel who graduated from Georgetown Medical School; Kelly Lester (post-abortion advocate with And Then There Were None, Pro-Love Ministries, and Maps Global); and Rev. Clenard Childress Jr., pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church in Montclair, New Jersey and founder of BlackGenocide.org, who has spoken at nearly every Walk since its founding.
- Ryan Bomberger — adoption advocate, founder of The Radiance Foundation
- Sr. Deirdre 'Dede' Byrne, M.D. — Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts
- Kelly Lester — post-abortion healing advocate
- Rev. Clenard Childress Jr. — BlackGenocide.org, featured on PBS Frontline
Contact, Location & Schedule
The Walk for Life West Coast can be reached by phone at (415) 658-1793 or by email at [email protected]; its mailing address is P.O. Box 22544, San Francisco, CA 94122. The official event calendar for each year's Walk is posted at walkforlifewc.com/event-info/event-schedule/, and the Archdiocese of San Francisco posts its annual Walk for Life Schedule at sfarch.org. The next full event-day typically runs: Adoration Friday night → Vigil Mass Friday night → Walk for Life Mass Saturday morning → Silent No More and Info Faire before the rally → 12:30 p.m. rally at Civic Center Plaza → 1:30 p.m. walk down Market Street → post-Walk BBQ.
- Phone: (415) 658-1793
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 22544, San Francisco, CA 94122
- Rally start: 12:30 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza
- Walk start: 1:30 p.m. along Market Street
Opposition & Civic Controversy
The Walk has faced active opposition from San Francisco city officials since its first march in 2005. Abortable-rights counter-protesters have appeared each year along the Embarcadero and later Market Street, though local media noted that by 2009 the tone of confrontations had become less aggressive and that counter-demonstrations have remained much smaller than the pro-life march. On January 18, 2014, San Francisco Supervisor David Campos and six colleagues introduced a Board of Supervisors resolution formally opposing the Walk's 'Abortion Hurts Women' street banners. Organizers describe the city's posture as ongoing and have emphasized that, despite that opposition, the Walk has continued to grow each year.
- Annual counter-protests by abortion-rights groups (much smaller scale)
- 2014 SF Board of Supervisors resolution against the 'Abortion Hurts Women' banners
- Ongoing tension with City and County of San Francisco officials
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