Contact: Stan Devereux, Steve Wharton, Walk for Life West Coast, 916-446-6409

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- In its third year, Walk for Life West Coast has rapidly become one of the fastest growing, most diverse Pro-Women /Pro-Life events in the nation and is expected to draw more than 20,000 supporters to San Francisco on Saturday, January 20.

Last year, more than 15,000 families, friends and students attended the Walk for Life West Coast to celebrate women and to celebrate life. This year, event organizers and law enforcement officials are preparing for an even greater turnout.

As in previous 'walks,' a number of well-known Pro-woman/Pro-Life advocates will participate. Speakers include: Pastor Clenard Childress, Regional Director of the Life Education And Resource Network (LEARN); Carol Crossed, Democrats for Life; Vera Lord, Through the Looking Glass; Talitha Phillips, Silent No More Awareness Campaign; Alfredo Abarca, San Francisco Activist for Life and Family; and Father Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life.

"The Walk for Life West Coast is a growing movement that is attracting national attention, especially among young people," said Dolores Meehan, co-founder of Walk for Life West Coast. "Clearly, the pro-life movement is quite alive in California."

And, the impact of the event on the community is important said Pastor Clenard Childress, who will once again deliver remarks before the walk.

"Martin Luther King said the contemporary church is often a weak ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is often the arch-supporter of the status quo. Walk for Life is the antithesis of this perception. This movement challenges the status quo for the sake of the segment of our community that has been denied their civil rights," Childress said.

"It was the annual March for Life that inspired me to become active in the pro-life movement in 1976. Having a large West Coast Walk for Life inspires countless young people to also become pro-life activists and leaders," said Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.

"Walk for Life's primary goal is to reach out to women and men of all political persuasions with the message that abortion hurts all women," said Eva Muntean Walk for Life co-founder.

The walk will begin at San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza at 11:00 a.m., proceed along the San Francisco Waterfront and conclude at the Marina Green.