WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence has agreed to speak at Friday’s March for Life, the annual anti-abortion demonstration in Washington.

In a statement, the March for Life says neither a president nor a vice president has ever spoken at the event, now in its 44th year.

One of President Donald Trump’s top advisers, Kellyanne Conway, is also on the list of speakers.

In a statement, the president of the March for Life, Jeanne Mancini, calls Pence “a friend and champion of the pro-life cause his entire career.” The organization predicts tens of thousands of demonstrators will rally on the National Mall and then march to the Supreme Court.

In the statement, organizers said:

“We are very pleased to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to speak at this year’s March for Life. His appearance marks a historic moment for the pro-life movement as Vice President Pence will be the first Vice President or President to speak at the March for Life,” said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life.

“Vice President Pence has been a friend and champion of the pro-life cause his entire career. Pro-life leaders, activists, volunteers and marchers will be thrilled to hear from Vice President Pence and are bound to leave the March for Life even more energized than when they came,” Mancini noted. “Our theme this year is the “Power of One,” highlighting how every individual has the ability to make a difference in the cause of life.  As a former Member of Congress, Governor and now Vice President, Mr. Pence has demonstrated throughout his entire career how one person can, indeed, make a difference in the ultimate human right – the right to life.”

Tens of thousands of Americans are set to travel from across the nation to D.C. for this year’s March for Life, which seeks to promote the dignity of every human life and to stand against the greatest human rights violation of our time – abortion-on-demand.

The March for Life is held each year by protesters marking the anniversary of a landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide.