This is the con argument for the March for Life. To read the pro argument, click here.
On January 23 at 3:30 a.m., I was groggily munching a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal, preparing to march for a cause I didn’t believe in.
When I first told people I was going on the March for Life, I was met with a variety of reactions. Some smiled and seemed happy that I was willing to immerse myself in an opposing perspective, while others either laughed or grimaced at the irony of it all. Given the school-wide attention my pro-choice views received a few months ago, these reactions aren’t surprising.
No matter what the reaction was, the question these people posed is a good one. Why would one go to a protest he doesn’t support? I could tell you that it was for the pursuit of a greater knowledge and understanding of the pro-life perspective, but that would only be half the truth. There were enormous benefits for students who went to the March. Eight services hours and extra credit in religion are enticing offers, especially when no classes are going on in school the day you’re out.
How many students went on the March solely because they believed in it? With such high academic benefits, more than a few people (all of whom understandably wish to remain anonymous) didn’t go purely out of the goodness of their own hearts.
However, I do not find too strong a fault in the school offering these benefits, since it is, after all, a good marketing strategy, albeit one that leaves the integrity of the March’s JC participants slightly compromised.
Most of all, though, I went to the March out of a curiosity for what the experience would be like. Could this event enlighten me? Would I be presented with testimonies that would make me question my own pro-choice stance on this issue?
The short answer is no.
Yes, the Mass at Verizon Center was well-done. The musicians were skilled and played lively music that moved the crowd. Reverend Monsignor Charles Pope gave one of the most energetic and well-spoken homilies I have ever heard.
And yet, nice music and elegant speakers do not equate to the reasoned viewpoints which I was searching for. Each testimony, including ones given by politicians outside later in the day, was based solely on the idea that Jesus wants people to be pro-life, sometimes with a personal story mixed in. It was easy to get caught in the emotion of it all and forget to consider if all that was said justified banning abortion.
One of the speakers, Brenda Zsebedics, a 16-year-old high school student, stated that, “I see God through each of my siblings.” She was the second oldest in a family of six and expressed gratitude towards her mother for being open to life. While this is fantastic for Zsebedics and her mother, it does not mean that this lifestyle is right for everyone.
I could say that I see God through each of my cats, but that doesn’t make it right to create laws that force people to have cats. Just because cats are right for me doesn’t mean they are right for everyone. In the same way, not everyone is meant to be a parent. The medieval anti-contraceptive views were one of the more horrifying parts of the day. There were more unfortunate things to come, though.
Pope’s homily was presented well, but once he preached that abortion should also be made illegal in times of rape, he started sounding much less appealing. Apparently, women’s greatest purpose is to be a human incubator, as stated in “God’s plan,” a plan that was mentioned throughout the homily.
Pope said, “God had you in mind the whole time. He didn’t just get your parents to meet. He got your grandparents, and your great-grandparents to meet as well . . . Nobody here is a mistake, or an accident, or a surprise, or inconvenient.” These words sound nice and comforting, but are they true? Birth deformations and miscarriages, which, according to Pope’s logic, God would be responsible for, strongly suggest otherwise.
To all the conservative Congressmen who spoke, does a baby still have its inalienable rights if it’s born gay? According to their voting records, none seem to think so. It is also ironic that while Republicans may support poor fetuses, they don’t support poor people, as evident in how strongly they oppose nationwide health care and other programs meant to aid the poor.
The poor, as usual, were grossly under-represented. The issue of abortion legality affects those below the poverty line the most, and yet they have little, if any, say on the matter. Amidst all of the Christian pop music and fervent prayers, no one seemed to realize the real world implications that laws making abortion illegal would inflict upon these people.
Now, I am convinced that the pro-life intentions come out of a desire to do what is good. I also admire the many organizations that are committed to helping women in times of pregnancy crisis. The only disagreement I have is with the legality of abortion, which unfortunately overshadows all these similarities.
Scott Novak is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.