What I Saw at the March for Life
“No exceptions. No compromise.”
So blared from the lips of Nellie Gray, the founder of the annual March for Life event, which brings hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates to the mall at Washington, D.C. every year on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. “We can’t compromise with the abortionists,” she said — by which she means the Democratic Party and, as she came to explain, anyone who believes in exceptions for rape.
Despite some pretensions, the scene on the ground confirmed that this was essentially a Catholic event. My (intentionally provocative) “Godless Homosexual 4 Life” sign, which attracted a few eager photographers, couldn’t add a dent to the scene. Everywhere one turned, there were Catholics. The university group I went with was comprised of me and ten Catholics. The first group that I encountered on the metro was from Notre Dame University. Catholic imagery was everywhere on the mall: pictures of Our Lady Guadalupe, portraits of the Pope, signs from Catholic organizations, and nuns in full garb. One Virginia woman I spoke with, Rosemary, held up a massive image of Jesus while echoing Mother Teresa to me. Repeating her claim that abortion is the world’s greatest problem, she said: “It’s the contraception mentality…contraception leads to abortion leads to nuclear war.” She told me that, if she had her way, contraception would be illegal. “It’s bad for women. Life is being sabotaged.”
Meanwhile, Senator Sam Brownback, a Catholic, stood at the stage, repeating that was on the lips of many people at the event — namely, that a majority of Americans are now pro-life. Signs were being handed out proclaiming “This Is the Pro-Life Generation.” I hope that this is so, but hope does not change hard data. A priest followed Brownback, inducing a cringe in me when he said that “our Jewish brothers and sisters learned: never again.” Comparisons of post-Roe America to the Holocaust were ubiquitous — and greatly bothered me.
These scenes aren’t particularly unfamiliar to most followers of politics. The popular definition of insanity is to repeat the same event, expecting a different result. The March for Life has been going on for nearly forty years. Is the pro-life movement actually making progress? Rosemary thinks so: “The Tea Party movement has had the side effect of helping the pro-life movement. Just look at the Stupak Amendment.” George from Ohio is more ambivalent: “Very little [progress is being made]…we need a strong, pro-life woman. I’ve always considered this a women’s issue, and we need a pro-life woman.” Sarah Palin? “She still nees to prove herself. She’s getting educated. If she can get educated, then maybe.”
Nobody I spoke to was particularly impressed with Palin, or any of the other 2012 contenders. This was purely an issue-based event — stacked top to bottom with the true believers. Those on the ground seemed to understand that this was, first and foremost, a cultural issue — indeed, everyone I spoke to noted the importance of awareness, education, and culture — but the words that came from the mouths of the speakers (and the stunning lack of diversity in the crowd) seemed to disavow incrementalism. Would one make “incremental” steps toward stopping the Holocaust? Abortion is the Holocaust, part deux, to many of them.
What’s the real solution? A physician spoke. “The divine physician is the one” who can help pregnant women.
And there it is. The abortion wars continue to divide primarily amongst religious lines. Speaking from a strictly anecdotal perspective, every person I know who headed down to the counter-protest headed by Planned Parenthood is an atheist. Nearly by definition, all pro-choice advocates are secularists. In a strict sense, abortion is not a religious issue; anyone with a passing interest in medical ethics can understand the philosophical and biological complexity of the issue. But when it comes to rallying the people, the troops on the ground, it’s religion — or the opposition to it — that wins the hearts and minds of the masses. None of those with whom I spoke could convince me that the pro-life movement has made any tangible progress, though. Two women from Delaware insisted that awareness was being raised and that legislative action is inevitable — but the numbers say otherwise. Abortion splits America right down the middle. And those who care about it are the radicals. “No exceptions, no compromises.” No compromises. Unimpressed with the homogeneity of it all, I walked away feeling not like I was on the front lines of conservatism’s side of the culture war — but on its ground zero.