Hundreds of thousands of people, all united in the conviction that every person deserves a chance to live, joined the March for Life in Washington, D.C. last week. Five of us from Elizabethtown College participated in the annual event, which occurs on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and abortion’s legalization in the United States. Along with former Planned Parenthood abortionists, atheists, theists, people of all races and backgrounds and women who have suffered the loss of a child through abortion, we marched to the Supreme Court and petitioned the government to uphold everyone’s right to life.
Women from “Silent No More,” a national pro-life group of post-abortive women, stood in front of the Supreme Court to share why they changed their minds about abortion after experiencing it. In the midst of that, our Etown group encountered several individuals who protested the pro-life message. They held “Keep Abortion Legal” signs and made their voices heard as well. The irony of it is that they can protest only because they themselves were never aborted. To stand for abortion is to deny others a foundational right that every pro-choice person already has, and that is the right to be alive, let alone the right to speak in protest. By participating in the March for Life, we hope to bring awareness to the dignity of every human being. That includes reaffirming the dignity not only of those who agree with us, but also of pro-choice activists and people involved in the abortion industry as well.
Some of the most inspirational pro-life individuals used to be proponents of abortion. A prime example is Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the co-founder of NARAL who aborted over 60,000 children before recognizing the destructive magnitude of his acts. He then embraced the pro-life message and became known for producing the film “The Silent Scream,” which documents fetal pain during the abortion procedure. And as we celebrated MLK Week at Etown, I’ll mention that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s niece, Dr. Alveda King, is currently one of the most prominent pro-life individuals. After having two abortions herself, King went on to say that “The abortion agenda is in direct conflict with the teachings of Dr. [Martin Luther] King.”
According to Student Wellness flyers, Planned Parenthood will host an event on campus this April. The largest abortion provider in the United States, Planned Parenthood has been found to give awards to clinics based on how many abortions were performed. Are we actually going to honor the antithesis of MLK’s teachings right after celebrating his message?
Let’s choose to honor his life by protecting the rights of others to live theirs.
