{"id":20592,"date":"2017-01-28T05:53:07","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T05:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=20592"},"modified":"2017-01-28T05:53:07","modified_gmt":"2017-01-28T05:53:07","slug":"anti-abortion-marchers-draw-inspiration-from-an-unlikely-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/anti-abortion-marchers-draw-inspiration-from-an-unlikely-source.html","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Abortion Marchers Draw Inspiration From an Unlikely Source"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Anti-Abortion Marchers Draw Inspiration From an Unlikely Source<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Anti-Abortion Marchers Draw Inspiration From an Unlikely Source:-<\/strong> Droves of men, women and children opposing abortion swarmed the National Mall on Friday in a demonstration that served not only as a rallying cry for their movement, but as a peaceful act of support for the new president they have embraced as their improbable champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The crowd gathered just a few blocks from where hundreds of thousands of women marched last weekend to protest President Trump \u2014 a striking and symbolic juxtaposition for a country cleaved by its most recent election.<\/span><\/p>\n

The contrast was not lost on the marchers or the speakers, who were optimistic that their cause would benefit greatly from having anti-abortion Republicans in control of Congress, the White House and, they hoped, eventually the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

As much as the march on Friday spoke to the divided politics of the moment, it also pointed to a sweeping shift in policy under the new administration. Mr. Trump, who has committed to rolling back abortion rights and naming anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court, sent two of the highest-ranking White House officials to address the crowd. It was a gesture of solidarity that march organizers said went further than any Republican administration had gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two officials, Vice President Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president who has been a leading figure in the anti-abortion movement for two decades, told the marchers of the White House\u2019s dedication to their cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLife is winning again in America,\u201d Mr. Pence said to cheers from the tens of thousands of people amassed at the foot of the Washington Monument. Mr. Pence\u2019s appearance was a first for the March for Life, which has taken place every year since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, but had never before been attended by a vice president. Republican presidents have spoken to the march before, but by video or audio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Conway, who was introduced at the march as \u201cone of us,\u201d told the crowd that their voices would no longer be ignored. \u201cWe hear you. We see you. We respect you,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we look forward to working with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump reinforced his solidarity with the movement by sending a Twitter post saying, \u201cThe #MarchForLife is so important. To all of you marching \u2014 you have my full support!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Endearing himself to social conservatives in a way that many did not think possible, Mr. Trump has cast himself as the most unflinchingly anti-abortion president in at least a generation, breaking with previous Republican nominees who generally took a more tepid approach when discussing the issue. President George W. Bush insisted that he would apply no \u201clitmus test\u201d to his Supreme Court nominees on any issue, including abortion. His father, President George Bush, said the same thing, using the same language, reinforcing the mistrust of many social conservatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Mr. Trump not only insisted that he would pick an anti-abortion justice to replace Antonin Scalia \u2014 whose seat has been vacant since he died last year \u2014 he signed a four-part pledge to take policy steps considered vital to the movement, including a commitment to sign a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, if such legislation reaches his desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been a remarkable turnaround for a man who spent much of his life as a supporter of abortion rights and who once described himself as \u201cvery pro-choice.\u201d Yet during the campaign, Mr. Trump spoke more vividly and more forcefully on the issue than any recent Republican nominee, disregarding years of established practice from conservatives who believed that it was political suicide to sound too radical.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after he was elected, Mr. Trump said women might have to cross state lines to have an abortion because his goal was to see Roe v. Wade overturned. He graphically characterized Hillary Clinton as someone who would tolerate abortion up until the point a doctor could \u201crip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth.\u201d He also said at one point that he believed women who had abortions should be punished, a statement he later had to walk back after even anti-abortion groups said he had gone too far.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Mr. Pence\u2019s mention of the president\u2019s name on Friday, marchers cheered. Some waved \u201cTrump\u201d flags and wore \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d hats. One carried a sign that said \u201cTrump for Baby Bumps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all in the crowd were always with him. Rebecca Klein, 48, of Lakeland, Fla., was attending her first March for Life on Friday. \u201cI was never a Trump supporter, but I\u2019ve been a Trump voter ever since it came down to two candidates,\u201d she said, describing her vote for him the way many social conservatives have \u2014 transactional and dispassionate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I can\u2019t speak for what the man believes in his heart,\u201d Ms. Klein added. \u201cBut what I do know is that coming into office he\u2019s taken a stance, regardless of what he personally believes. And I believe he\u2019s going to keep his word to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Annette Saunders, 60, drove five hours with her husband from Norwalk, Conn. Though she voted for Mr. Trump, she said agonized over the decision. One factor swayed her: the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was concerned, but I felt like God told me to vote for Donald Trump,\u201d she said. \u201cHe is standing up for pro-life, and his vice president certainly is. And I\u2019m excited about seeing a turnaround.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many marchers spoke hopefully about the change of power in Washington and what it could mean for their cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel empowered. I feel positive. I feel encouraged about the future,\u201d said Anne Nudi, 49, a nurse and college professor, who flew from her home in Kenosha, Wis., to attend the march. \u201cAnd I feel blessed that I have a president who is supportive of our cause,\u201d she said, shivering as she recalled some of Mr. Trump\u2019s promises and actions, like his order this week prohibiting foreign aid to entities that discuss abortion as a family-planning option.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marchers traveled to Washington in church groups, on high school class trips and in family minivans. Many noted with a hint of disapproval that they could not be more different from the anti-Trump Women\u2019s March last Saturday \u2014 culturally or politically.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jennifer Brock, 55, from Scranton, Pa., held a pink sign that read, \u201cWhen they go nasty, we go classy,\u201d a hybrid allusion to Mr. Trump\u2019s \u201cnasty woman\u201d attack on Mrs. Clinton and the Michelle Obama-coined slogan, \u201cWhen they go low, we go high.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Brock said she found many of the women last week crass and self-degrading with their \u201cpussy hats\u201d and obscenity-laced signs and speeches. \u201cMy idea as a woman is that we can speak and be strong, but I don\u2019t know that it really helps our cause to be vulgar and nasty,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d like to present a different message: that women can be strong and dignified and gracious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Valerie Schram, 53, came with her Baltimore church group. She, too, could not help but note the disparities with the crowd from last weekend. \u201cWe know what we\u2019re about,\u201d she said. \u201cThis march isn\u2019t about us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/01\/27\/us\/politics\/anti-abortion-march-for-life.html<\/span><\/div>\n

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