Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) wasn’t scheduled to speak at the 45th annual March for Life event on Friday on the National Mall, but the lawmaker said he wanted to stand with people who are “standing for life.”

Lankford was standing o oppose U.S. law that allows late-term abortions. “We’re one of only seven countries total that allows abortion after 20 weeks,” Lankford told Breitbart News.

“So we’re in this elite group with China, North Korea, and Vietnam,” Lankford said. “Those [countries] are the worst human rights violators in the world.”

“And even many people who are pro-choice do not want to see late-term abortions of children who are viable,” Lankford said.

The National Park Service does not provide crowd estimates for events like the March for Life, but organizers said tens of thousands of people from across the country attended this year’s event, with the theme “Love Saves Lives.”

Lankford noted how many young people were taking part in the event, which included a rally and then a procession from the National Mall to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I want to be a part of what this generation is doing,” Lankford said. “Not only standing for life but to be able to stand with those who are standing for life.

“This a really joyful movement of a lot of people who are not only expressing their affection for each other but their affection for children, especially the most vulnerable,” Lankford said.

“This is a group of people that say every child should be loved,” Lankford said.

Not coincidentally the House passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act by a vote of 241-183 on Friday.

The National Review reported:

Every Republican representative voted in favor of the bill, and all Democrats voted against it, with just six exceptions: Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jim Langevin of Rhode Island, Dan Lipinski of Illinois, and Collin Peterson and Tim Walz, both of Minnesota. The last time a similar bill was considered in Congress — the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, which President George W. Bush signed in 2002 — it passed both chambers by a voice vote.

The March for Life has been held annually in the nation’s capital since the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion on demand the law of the land.