March For Life 2013: Why the Anti-Abortion Rally Was An Epic Failure
The March for Life is an annual pro-life rally in D.C. on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This year, the rally was held on January 25, just after the "abortion president" Obama's inauguration. It drew up to 400,000 protesters, predominately teenagers, and dozens of political and religious speakers, predominately Catholic.
And it was terrible.
Two different causes were promoted at the rally. First, the cause for the rally is "abortion should not be legal." That is a statement of legality. The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld Roe v. Wade, so abortion is legal. The Supreme Court is famous for not caring about protests and instead choosing to weigh issues as objectively as possible according to the laws of our country, and 400,000 teenagers won't change that.
Second, "women should not have access to abortion." That is the cause you should be mad about, because women getting abortions is not a lifestyle like gay marriage or gun ownership are a lifestyle – an ongoing commitment to a certain way of life. Women who seek abortions are not "anti-life." The choice to have an abortion does not reflect a lifestyle; it reflects a lack of options for women and children in America.
The same politicians who have introduced legislation that would block legal abortion have repeatedly cut access to prenatal and neonatal care, child care, health care, foster care, sex education, and advocacy organizations that would help protect women and children. These are many of the same legislators who supported wars, support detention and torture, support the death penalty, reduce care for the elderly, and support the gun lobby.
The pro-life movement supports the birth of babies, but does little to support life in a broader sense. This is not a Christian cause until the compassion they show for an unnamed, voiceless fetus extends to women and children.
The March for Life is very expensive for individuals and organizations, supports an impossible cause, glorifies politicians who are not really pro-life, and promotes a combative rather than compassionate conversation. The March for Life is terrible.
