Marlene Downing

Marlene Downing is a pro-life activist, author, and public speaker whose career centers on advocating for the unborn and supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies. Downing serves as a state director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a national pro-life organization. Her work includes grassroots voter outreach, community education, and media advocacy, establishing her as a recognized voice in the national pro-life movement.

Prior to her role with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Downing gained experience in direct community service as director of HOPE Pregnancy Center. In this position, she worked with women navigating challenging circumstances, counseling hundreds of women facing unplanned pregnancies. Downing also reached young people in the community by organizing annual youth purity conferences, healing conferences, and workshops designed to educate and support families. She concluded her tenure at the Pregnancy Resource Center as executive director after four years of service.

Downing’s advocacy is informed by personal experience. She shares her post-abortive story and transformation from liberal to conservative, now serving as a media spokesperson and board member of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia. In this capacity, she assists with efforts to reduce abortion in Philadelphia. Downing is the author of "Strange Fruit Since 1973: Personhood Rejected from the Family Tree," a book focused on compassion for human life.

Downing’s electoral work includes measurable impact. As Pennsylvania state director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, her team visited hundreds of thousands of voters at their doorsteps, contributing to key election outcomes. She also led a Women Speak Out Virginia field team, deploying workers to visit the homes of thousands of voters in Richmond and Virginia Beach to discuss abortion policy ahead of House of Delegates races. As a veteran state director, Downing has led field efforts in Des Moines, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids, deploying canvassers and targeting pro-life voters who do not consistently participate in midterm elections, as well as persuadable voters.

Downing has stated, "As the largest pro-life voter contact program in the country, we are known for our impact on elections." She adds, "Our doorstep conversations change the minds of persuadable voters and energize pro-life Americans to go to the polls." Through personal testimony, community leadership, published authorship, and political organizing, Downing is a leading voice in the contemporary pro-life movement.