COEUR d’ALENE — With no hormones, chemicals or devices, women have the power to control when they conceive.

It's called natural family planning, and retired neonatal intensive care registered nurse Joanne Wing will be imparting her knowledge on the subject Saturday morning at the annual Right to Life Commemorative March and Rally.

"We look at life as not a disease, but a wonderful gift to be respected," Wing said Thursday.

Through natural family planning, or NFP, partners are supportive as women learn to listen to their bodies and develop a routine that adheres to natural fertility patterns, "instead of trying to shut them down," Wing explained. It's what women have done since the dawn of time and passed on to their daughters. The advent of birth control in the 1920s changed things, Wing said.

"NFT, when it is observed consistently, is 97 to 99% effective, whether they want to conceive or delay pregnancy. There’s no unhealthy side effects," Wing said. "It’s completely holistic, and women get a greater understanding of their body. They’re able to tell when their body is off."

Wing will be one of the featured speakers at the rally, which will be held at 10 a.m. in the Skate Plaza parking lot at the corner of U.S. 95 and Dalton Avenue.

The theme is "Together Strong: Life Unites," in conjunction with the national March for Life, which annually takes place around the anniversary of when the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court case was decided Jan. 22, 1973. The court ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects a pregnant woman's liberty to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.

The rally has occurred in Coeur d'Alene for more than 40 years. Organizer Connie Frank said it was pushed beyond its normal January date because of COVID and permit issues.

"I just felt that it's Right to Life, and in January the virus was so hot, how can you have a Right to Life march when people can get so ill from it?" Frank said.

Deacon Andy Finney will serve as the master of ceremony. Pastor Dan Wurster will bless the walkers. Also speaking will be Open Arms Real Choices Clinic executive director Richard Hawk.

Right to Life Coeur d'Alene is an organization dedicated to fostering respect for human life from conception through natural death, to defend the right to life for all human beings, born or unborn, through education and legislative activities.

Right to Life will provide signs for rally attendees. The Knights of Columbus will escort groups of 50 across the highway during the march, which will be at 10:30 a.m. Marchers may walk on the bike path as far as Neider Avenue or return from any point along the way.

Attendees are encouraged to follow COVID safety guidelines.

"I hope everybody shows up who has an interest in life, from conception to natural death," Frank said.

Info: www.righttolifecoeurdalene.com