“I hope we’re the ones to change it,” a young woman from Pittsburgh said in D.C. over the weekend, speaking of abortion in the U.S. “And even the people coming after us too — [I hope] that it just keeps moving forward.”
If you listen to the media or follow the issue on Twitter, you would assume she was an advocate for legal abortion. But this woman wasn’t here for the Women’s March. She was here for the March for Life. What she wanted to “move forward” was the pro-life cause.
This shouldn’t be unexpected. The vast majority of women want considerable restrictions on abortions in the first three months of pregnancy.
Yet the other side nevertheless relies on the idea that the pro-life cause is men trying to subjugate women.
“This isn’t the March for Life,” one Twitter user said. “It’s a March Against Choice. I’ll be damned if some crusty old men can tell me what to do with my body. None of these fakers are pro-life, they are simply anti-choice.”
This isn’t a March for Life ? It’s a March Against Choice. I’ll be damned if some crusty old men can tell me what to do with my body. None of these fakers are pro-life, they are simply anti-choice.
— Sybille C. Denninger (@SybilleAbed) January 18, 2019
Others joined the bandwagon in the fight against the March for Life:
Just another old white numbnut, wanting to take away my choices.
— robin m (@robindefoe1) January 18, 2019
I just think its so fucking funny that a ALL MALE PRIVATE SCHOOL was at MARCH FOR LIFE. Just raising them to be old white men who belive women dont have choice LOLLLL
— Bossa-Nova (@bigkatinthehat) January 21, 2019
Those actually at the March saw something different. “We just wanted to support people who may not have a say for themselves,” Rachel Smith said in defense of the biggest pro-life rally in the nation.
Rachel’s hope was that someone would be appointed to the Supreme Court who “believes everybody should have a say … even if they aren’t born yet.”
“I strongly believe that life begins at conception” Julia, a student from Princeton University, said.
Melina and Faith Costello have attended the March for Life every year for the last four years, with their parents. In those years, they have fought for the rights of the unborn with the help of their church and community.
“It’s so cool to see everyone who comes,” Melina said about the March for Life. “There’s so many priests and nuns and everyone gathered in one place … it’s so awesome.”
Being a pro-lifer isn’t easy. “People that are our age who aren’t pro-life are very aggressive when you tell them you’re pro-life,” Faith said.
“We will get flipped off a lot or people will yell out the window,” she added. “It’s just a really aggressive atmosphere. When you are trying to put your message out with love — you get a lot of negativity.”
Also, what may surprise the critics: The vast majority of people who attended the March for Life were in their 20s, if not younger.
“I think it’s so cool to see a lot of young people out … it’s not just adults here, it’s kids and teenagers here,” Jackie, a young woman from New Jersey, said.
Hardly a movement of “crusty old men.”
