Pro-Lifers Ready to Kick-Off Rallies for Life

From coast to coast, grassroots campaigns are being organized to protest abortion. Tens of thousands of participants are expected to show their support.
Michelle Vu
The Gospel Herald
Jan. 21, 2007

WASHINGTON – Pro-lifers across the nation are ready to tell Congress, the media, and American citizens ”No to abortion!”

From coast to coast, grassroots campaigns are being organized to protest abortion. Tens of thousands of participants are expected to show their support for the sanctity of human life starting Saturday.

The Third Annual Walk for Life West Coast will take place on Saturday with an expected 20,000 people to gather in San Francisco. Organizers of the walk say the goal is to deliver the message that “abortion hurts women, and that Life is the best choice,” according to a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier this week.

Rallies and events will take place throughout the weekend leading up to the 34th anniversary of the legalization of U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.

Each year, thousands of pro-life activists gather in Washington for March for Life to protest the Roe v. Wade decision that has resulted in an estimated 48 million abortions in the United States.

Joe Scheidler, the director of the Pro-Life Action League, commented, “With the new pro-abortion leadership in Congress, we need grass-roots activism more than ever."

The League is the nation’s largest direct action pro-life organization.

“America was founded on the principle that we are all endowed by our Creator with the right to life and that every individual has dignity and worth,” said President George W. Bush, who is against abortion, in a statement on Friday regarding National Sanctity of Human Life Day on Sunday.

Bush called for using science to relieve human suffering without abusing the “dignity of human life.”

Many of the gatherings will feature the testimonies of women who have undergone abortion. Thousands of women have joined the Silent No More Awareness Campaign sponsored by Anglicans for Life and Priests for Life and hundreds will speak at more than 21 gatherings from Connecticut to Los Angeles and Texas to Minnesota.

"This is not about abortion politics, it's about reaching out to people who are struggling after an abortion and don't know help is available,” said Silent No More co-founder Georgette Forney in a statement.

“It's also about helping the public understand that reproductive rights aren't really right for women. Abortion affects us emotionally, physically and spiritually."

The women will share about crying in closets, becoming infertile, taking drugs, having nightmares, and giving up hope because of having an abortion.

"We're not willing to wait for the law to change - we need to work to stop abortions today, tomorrow and every day," declared Pro-Life Action League’s Scheidler.