Marie Smith, a member of the Priests for Life team, is the founder and director of the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI), an international network of pro-life lawmakers working to advance global respect and dignity for life through law and policy. In this capacity, Marie meets and communicates with elected officials, pro-life organizations, and religious officials worldwide to share ideas, policies, and strategies to avert pro-abortion advances and build pro-life leadership.
Marie is a frequent speaker at pro-life conferences and parliamentary meetings in the US and internationally where she advocates for life-affirming ways to reduce maternal mortality while protecting the lives of children in the womb. Prior to her work with PNCI, Marie worked for Life Issues Institute to advance the international pro-life message and served as the International Director for Feminists for Life, where she championed pro-life pro-woman policies globally. She is a recipient of the 2009-2010 Life Prizes award in recognition of her work to protect children and their mothers from the violence of abortion.
For the past 35 years Marie has been a staunch pro-life activist and leader beginning at the College of New Jersey where she chaired the college pro-life committee. She has advocated for the right to life on college, state, national, and international levels. Together with her husband Congressman Chris Smith, the Smiths are the parents of four grown children and have two grandchildren.