Of all the news stories I’ve read describing this year’s March for Life in Washington D.C., none make me prouder or more hopeful for the future than this little piece by Robert McCartney in the Washington Post:
“I went to the March for Life rally Friday on the Mall expecting to write about its irrelevance. Isn’t it quaint, I thought, that these abortion protesters show up each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, even though the decision still stands after 37 years. What’s more, with a Democrat in the White House likely to appoint justices who support abortion rights, surely the Supreme Court isn’t going to overturn Roe in the foreseeable future.
How wrong I was. The antiabortion movement feels it’s gaining strength, even if it’s not yet ready to predict ultimate triumph, and Roe supporters (including me) are justifiably nervous.”
Did you catch that?
McCartney admits that he went in with an agenda, planning to serve up some of the main-stream media usual: The pro-life movement is a dying cause kept alive by a few angry old men, young people are overwhelmingly pro-choice, women are underrepresented, ... etc.
But what he saw would not allow him to report such things.
Half of the crowd, he estimated, were younger than 30. And what’s more, promoting abortion just doesn’t seem to be as cool as it once was:
“Activists who support abortion rights conceded that there’s less energy among young people on their side of the debate.
‘Unfortunately, I feel my generation is a little complacent,’ said Amanda Pelletier, 20, co-director of the abortion rights group at American University. ‘It just doesn’t seem to be a very hip issue.’”
First of all, kudos for Robert McCartney for reporting with integrity, despite his pro-abortion bias. Many of his colleagues found themselves incapable of such fact-based, balanced reporting.
And second of all, I just want to say how much I LOVE the fact that Catholic school kids, Christian youth groups, and home school families can show up by the bus-load in our nation’s capitol, wave some signs, shout some slogans, and smile big and bright for the cameras ... and their infectious joy, love, youth, and enthusiasm leave the pro-abortion “insiders” shaking in their boots.
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One of the main reasons the pro-choice movement is dying out is the death of the progeny of those who support abortion. Numbers don’t lie- the ones most likely to be raised in support of “choice” are killed by their own parents- in the millions. Also, I’ve seen people in my generation think about the brothers and sisters they could have known and think twice about the effects of abortion. Many of us feel cheated or robbed of siblings, family and friends as we look around and feel the presence of those not there because of abortion. Many young women are sick and tired of hearing the double standard of, “You can be anything you want to be in the work place, but you surely can’t even think of being a mother right now!” peddled by the feminists. It seems like the whole feminist movement has been boiled down to pantsuits and making as much money as men, while completely ignoring the sexual exploitation that goes on when young women are expected to abort so they can remain sexually available at their partner’s pleasure. From what I have personally experienced and seen in my own generation, young women are disenchanted with the “women’s lib” movement of our parents’ generation and are searching for a more genuine femininity which respects our bodies capacity for bearing life. That search often ends in the rejection of abortion as a pro-woman option. Let’s hope the movement continues to grow!
I’m not scared of those kids. What I feel is pity for them. Abstinence-only education is really fantastic… at getting teenagers pregnant. It’ll be that much harder for them to deal with that situation when they’ve spent their lies getting their heads filled with the lies (breast cancer! suicide! miscarriages! accidental disembowelment at the clinic!!!) of the anti-choice right.
What moved me from apathetic on abortion to fully pro-life was discovering the, conservatively, 20% of my generation was killed before birth. (I was born in 1978.) Sarah is exactly right: when I think about the classmates and friends I should have known, it makes me sad and angry. Those in my generation and younger really are the fortunate survivors.
Right on with this story and it is so sad many blacks choose to abort. But what we on the pro life side needs to do is understand that the issue is much more profound. There are things that us conservatives overlook that seriously impacts our point of view. I saw this article that challenged my principles concerning faith, the constitution and the abortion law, as a pro lifer its worth the read, its something all conservatives should consider.
http://keironjackman.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/abortion-religion-politics/
These pro-abortion women who claim to be feminists are really anything but feminists. They cast aside the one thing that makes a woman truly feminine - the ability to carry and nurture new life inside her. No man can do that. If they were real feminists, they would treasure their fertility, not do away with it.
Michelle, please don’t feel pity for ‘us kids’ who are living out the truth of our faith. Unfortunately, the examples you list as lies are also truths, supported by facts. To go one step further, ‘anti-choice’ is a false way of describing ‘us kids.’ A person is always free to make their own decision. God always gives His children a choice. Choosing the right one, not taking the anti-life route, is one that can be chosen and lived out through His grace. I am so proud of the seven buses full of my fellow university students who joined me on Friday. They have made a decision to live a life of abstinence until marriage, and are faithfully living it through God’s grace. I have seen older people experience the witness of ‘us kids’ and be completely blown away. I am so blessed to be a part of the example that these students and young adults, us ‘kids,’ are living.
Sorry Sarah, but you’re dead wrong. Do a little research and you’ll discover that plenty of women die from legal abortions every year. And yes, having an abortion doesin fact increase your chances for breast cancer and suicide. The research is out there to prove it and there is plenty of it, and it’s not written by the so called anti-choice right.
Michelle,
You are misinformed about Abstinence.
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The West’s commitment to sexual promiscuity is a religion that people will both kill and die for.
AIDS victims in 1987: Philippines 135 / Thailand 112
In 1991 the WHO predicted the Philippines would have 80,000 to 90,000 cases and Thailand 60,000 to 80,000 AIDS victims.
Thailand promoted the use of condoms in massive campaigns where Catholic Philippines promoted ‘Abstinence’ and ‘Be faithful’.
The prognosis of the WHO was wrong for both countries:
1999: Philippines 1,005 / Thailand 755,000 AIDS victims
Source: British Medical Journal, volume 328, April 10th 2004
http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/2009/03/pope-still-cath.php
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And you are misinformed about “Choice”.Killing your offspring is No choice for a mother.If a women is unable to care for her child she can still “choose life” and give her child up for adoption.Now that is a real “Choice”.My husband thanks the women he has never met everyday for his life.Women need to hold thier heads high and realize there is nothing to be ashamed of in giving there child up,they have chosen life.
As a child of the 70’s I grew up convinced of the reality of contraception and abortion being “normal”. We were told it was ok and healthy to sexually active. Then reality set in teen’s are not very responsible- Most of those contracepting became sexually active and some pregnant. They had abortions. A few friends were “forced” to have them so as not to screw up their lives… or shame their parents. I myself had one thinking it was the “best option”- the horror of that day!
All of those girls who had abortions ALL regret it. We all are prolife. Even my one classmate who is Buddhist is prolife! The generations who are missing their children and their sibblings know the truth about abortion.
We are experiencing the same pro-life energy and committment with our young people in Canada as you are in the States. Every year at our annual March for Life in Ottawa there are more and more young people who are joining in the “Life Movement”!
‘It just doesn’t seem to be a very hip issue.’” It seems, sadly enough, that the ‘Choice agenda’ (the killing of babies) has always been a “hip issue.” How sad. They were all aborted in the name of, being “hip”.
Tried to comment earlier hope this gets through this time….
Dh,
Was very interested in your comment regarding the success of abstinence/be faithful campaign in reducing AIDS victims in the Philippines as compared to Thailand. Intuitively this makes sense to me, but having an analytical mind I wanted to read the article myself. I went to the British Medical Journal issue cited and could not find this information. Does anyone know where I can find this information? I am interested in writing a letter to the editor of our local newspaper and want to make sure I have all of my facts correct. Thanks!
Great article Danielle. The youth involvement and enthusiasm for life is very encouraging! We must keep praying and know that God is working miracles every day!
Thank God for these young people who will be great leaders one day!
Abortion has had a tremendously negative impact on my family over the course of four generations. One of my great-grandmothers attempted to abort my grandmother and failed. That grandmother grew up deeply wounded by that and was fiercely pro-life, for good reason. If her mother’s abortion attempt had been successful, it would have eliminated 17 other lives including mine. On the other side of my family, my grandmother had an abortion. She never told anyone, but became emotionally unavailable and withdrawn. It caused my grandparents to divorce. Her emotional unavailability to my mother, who was the “make up” baby conceived shortly after the abortion in turn led my own mother to seek love in the bedroom which in turn led to my mother having four abortions. I was the “make up” baby she conceived 6 months after the first abortion. The anger, self-loathing, and bitterness which resulted from those abortions led her to be less of a mother to her four living children than she would have liked to have been. To say that abortion doesn’t impact anyone but the woman is a gross and terrible lie. It does affect EVERYONE around that woman. Who knows how many family members I have lost because of those abortions? Who knows how many nieces and nephews I will never get to know because of that? It’s a tragedy and a travesty.
Kathryn,
You can try here to start:
http://www.hli.org/index.php/the-case-against-condoms/320?task=view
On this link scroll half way down the page for the Philippines and Thailand info, they cite these in their article:
[46] Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Country-by-country HIV/AIDS statistics can be accessed http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/default.asp.
[47] Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “United States of America: Epidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” 2004 Update.
[48] C. Hermann, E.C. Green, J. Chin, M. Taguiwalo, and C. Cortez. “Evaluation of the Philippines AIDS Surveillance and Education Project.” USAID/Philippines, May 8, 2001.
Hope this helps.A few years ago I had an extensive article on it on my old computer.
Brandy M.
You live what most of us only fear and wish wasn’t true. God’s blessings on you and your family. God’s great love of family is without bounds, but the human condition makes it very vulnerable.
May his love bring you peace of heart.
The truth about the March For Life this year has so gladdened my heart. I understand a little bit better how Simeon must have felt when the Blessed Virgin Mary showed him Jesus. After trying to be actively prolife for 40 years, his words are my words. My throat consticts and my eyes are full of tears of joy.
Thanks Dh! I will start there. God Bless!
It’s called natural selection.
Pro-choice is selected against.
Darwin sucks. :)
I read his article before seeing this and I was impressed at his honesty and willing to face the facts…especially for a anti-lifer. Unfortunately, he still got the number at the march of by several hundred thousand.
Yeah, I’m loving this kind of news too, Danielle. Thanks for bringing it up and sharing it! :) Keep up YOUR great work!
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