“Just a Mom from Iowa” Steps onto the National Stage
by David Dufek | January 12, 2026
Washington, D.C. is a long way from Johnston, Iowa. When Sarah Hurm steps onto the stage at the National March for Life this January 23, she won’t have a politician’s polish or a lobbyist’s talking points.
“I’ll be the testimony speaker,” Hurm says. “I’m just a mom from Iowa.”
That “mom from Iowa,” however, has been selected to give the featured personal witness at the 2026 March for Life. The theme this year is “Life is a Gift”—a phrase Hurm’s own life illustrates in messy, miraculous detail.
“God gave me the story for a reason,” she says. “I can’t put a bushel over it… I have to let my light shine.”
While she has shared her testimony at local banquets and confirmations, the prospect of the national stage feels different. She admits stepping out of "sympathetic" local environments into the national spotlight is daunting. To prepare, she is rehearsing lines, but more than anything, she is leaning into the sacraments and into adoration.
“Adoration has been very healing and my foundation of peace,” she explains. “If nothing else, I can sit in silence and at least breathe.”
“I Felt It Sink Into My Body”
Readers of The Catholic Mirror may remember Hurm from 2022, when she first shared the harrowing details of her journey.
In 2018, facing her fourth pregnancy and intense pressure from the baby’s father, Hurm sought a chemical abortion. She describes the decision as a heavy burden she didn't fully understand until the moment of the procedure.
“It wasn't until after I actually took the pill that I felt it sink into my body,” she recalls.
But she fought back. Hurm sought an abortion pill reversal—a treatment using progesterone to counteract the abortion drug. It worked. Her youngest son, Isaiah, born in January 2019, is now a living testament to that second chance.
Hurm describes him today not just as a survivor, but as a "spitfire" full of "unapologetic life." When she faces skeptics of the reversal process, she points to that undeniable reality: “I have a human here because of progesterone.”
Healing for the "Church of Sinners"
On the Mall, thousands will hear her testimony in a few short minutes. Her goal is not to debate, but to offer hope — specifically to women who may be suffering in silence within the Church itself.
“The Church is made up of sinners,” Hurm reminds us. She hopes that by sharing her own raw experience, parishes can become a "resting place" for women in crisis rather than a place of judgment.
“There is healing available,” she insists. She urges those carrying the pain of a past abortion to seek out post-abortive healing ministries, wanting them to know that their past decision “doesn’t have to define them.”
A Challenge to Men
Hurm’s message also carries a specific, urgent challenge for the men in the crowd, a demographic she feels is often missing from the conversation.
“Guys, we need you,” she says.
She often tells high school and college young men that while an unplanned pregnancy is fearful, women are looking to them for strength, not an exit strategy. “She’s looking to you to be strong,” Hurm says. “She’s looking to you to be supportive.”
As she prepares to bring this message to the nation, Hurm remains grounded in her vocation as a mother. She isn't looking for fame; she is simply being obedient to the truth of her life.
“It took four pregnancies for me to sit down and be like, ‘Wow, what am I doing with my life?’” she reflects. Now, through the grace of a second chance, she has found a new path -- one that leads her all the way to Washington.