Sara Silander, a 21-year-old senior from Jacksonville, Florida, who is president of Georgia Tech Students for Life, said, “I have always been taught that we should respect the dignity of everyone, including the unborn. We’ve always been told to protect the minorities, the impoverished and everyone, and that is so important, but we have also include the unborn.”
“I drove all the way from Michigan with my friends to be here. And I wanted to be here to walk for the unborn. I believe that little babies are just as precious inside of the womb as they are outside of it,” said Stephanie Mestizy, 25.
Several speakers talked about choosing life even when the unborn child is found to be imperfect. Eight or more of every 10 unborn children with disabilities are aborted. “That’s just wrong, isn’t it?” said Jeanne Monahan-Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Republican and a leader of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus, said her son, who was born with that distinctive chromosomal anomaly, has strengthened her convictions that every life matters. “That extra chromosome has brought my family a whole bunch of joy,” she said.
Mrs. McMorris Rogers and other speakers addressed the legislative drama on Capitol Hill: Instead of voting as promised Thursday for a bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks because of the ability of a fetus to feel pain at that stage of life, the House took up — and passed — a bill to block federal funding of abortions, especially in the new health care insurance plans.
Rep. Christopher Smith, New Jersey Republican, said the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which he introduced, is necessary to end people’s “complicity” in paying for abortions, especially when they oppose the procedures. The House will soon take up the pain-capable bill, Mr. Smith added. “We will bring it to the floor and we will pass it.”
“The Senate will stand with the House” as it passes pro-life legislation, said Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican.
The now-massive March for Life is held on the Jan. 22 anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court rulings that made abortion a federal constitutional right.
| Commentary |
CMA VP for Government Relations Jonathan Imbody: “I
enjoyed the privilege of representing you on stage just moments before the
massive crowd of half a million pro-life marchers took to the streets to
peacefully and impressively mark the Supreme Court's tragic 1973 decision
opening the door to abortion on demand. Besides demonstrating the visible
strength of the swelling pro-life movement, the March for Life also aims to
influence public policy by having marchers visit their lawmakers after the
march.“This year a few otherwise pro-life GOP lawmakers managed to delay a planned vote on a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks. That is the stage of fetal development at which when our own members and others have testified that babies have all the architecture needed to feel pain yet lack the pain inhibitors that protect fully developed individuals. A few GOP representatives questioned a rape exception requirement that simply ensured reasonable compliance by stipulating that the rape must have been reported to authorities. The bill does not affect abortions sought during the first five months of pregnancy.
“As an alternative, the House of Representatives passed another CMA-backed bill, the No Taxpayers Funds for Abortions Act. That's good, and we expect in this new, more pro-life Congress to pass more bills backed by popular opinion, which disfavors government abortion funding, favors a ban on late-term abortions and favors parental involvement when minor girls are considering an abortion.
Action
- Maybe marching in the streets hasn't been on your bucket list, but you might consider joining next year's March for Life simply to join hands with hundreds of thousands of other committed believers to demonstrate your support for the notion that every life is a sacred gift from God. Perhaps you could organize a passel of students or fellow church members to join you. You will be standing alongside many people just like you--normal, church-going believers who may not be politically inclined but sense a call to put some kind of action to their life-honoring values.
- Voice your values by urging your lawmakers to support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill will ban abortions after 20 weeks, when our own members and others have testified that developing babies have all the architecture needed to feel pain at intense levels. Click here to use our Freedom2Care pre-written, customizable form.
Resources
March for Life
CMDA resources on abortion
Fetal pain testimony
President Obama's statement
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