March for Life and Women’s March: a call for unity

Marching. We’ve been seeing a lot of it lately. Last week we saw hundreds of thousands of women (and men!) participate in the Women’s March to stand up for women’s rights as human rights, and today we will see similarly large crowds in honor of the March for Life — one of the largest and longest-standing statements in the world to fight for the value and protection of all human life. This annual protest began in response to the widely-known Supreme Court case of Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion in America on January 22, 1973.

Every year the pro-life movement chooses a theme to go along with their social media campaign that uses the hashtag #WhyWeMarch. The theme for today’s march is “The Power of One” which celebrates what one life, one beating heart, can do for the world. Click here to watch a video exploring this year’s theme on the organizer’s Instagram page.

As a Catholic organization that uses teaching natural family planning to help men and women learn and understand their dignity as male and female created in the image and likeness of God, the March for Life is an event we wholeheartedly support.  CCL is thrilled for the thousands out marching today standing up for the dignity of every human from the moment of conception until natural death.

We were saddened, though, to witness the disconnection between those who stand with the March for Life and those who stood for the Women’s March. Initially, the Women’s March seemed like a valid cause to stand behind: supporting and fighting for the equal rights and respect that all women deserve, especially in light of derogatory remarks made by several during the election season. However, when some of the supporters began criticizing the inclusion of the group New Wave Feminists — a pro-life organization, the tenor of the event changed. The conversation before, during and after the march deteriorated into a tempest of loud, angry and nasty voices crying for abortion rights, and dignity and respect seemed to go out the door.

The decision by Women’s March organizers to exclude an entire population of women who desired to participate in the march but do not believe in abortion was a bad call. I firmly believe their march could have stood on the foundation of bringing all women together, to fight for the many beliefs we have in common, and instead it seemed to drive many apart.

Check out this article that goes in-depth on the pro-lifers who still felt compelled to go to the Women’s March. While some described negative experiences with extreme pro-choice women, overall it’s a beautiful thing to see that women can come together, despite differing views, to fight for common causes they believe in, just as we see today at the March for Life.

Despite the difficulties, I am still grateful that we have the freedom to protest! Whether some pro-lifers felt welcomed or some felt excluded last week in the Women’s March, there is no doubt their voices will be heard today as they fight in the bitter January cold for the lives of the unborn. I am glad to be part of a pro-life generation!

— Megan Imwalle
Communications Intern