Photographing the crowd - from the sidelines of the March and also from the press box, I had a good basis for refuting any stereotypes of who makes up the Pro-Life crowd. Both last year and this year, they crowd was overwehlmingly youthful. I'd estimate that 75% of the marchers were under 21. It's exciting to see! And exciting to think what the future holds!
Matching hats help people find each other!
Yeah, baby!
I had the privilege of hearing Senator Brownback speak at the Bloggers for Life Conference I attended before the march. He touched on almost every aspect of the Pro-Life debate, including prenatal screening tests, stem cell research, euthanasia. As he said, the abortion debate boils down to this: Is the youngest of humans a person or property? Under our system of government, everything is one or the other. " Throughout the history of mankind, when we have one class of people as less than another, we have regretted it." Referring to the shameful days when African Americans were counted as 3/5 a person. He advocated reaching out to encourage those who've had abortions (Silent No More), and affirmed that the strength of the Republican Party is in its pro-life position.
Contrary to the image leftists portray of Pro-Lifers, this is a joyful, upbeat crowd.
Youth and vitality! Reminds me of my old counterculture days when the chant was "We Don't Want Your Tired Old Ethics." The young people here know that they are alive only because their parents CHOSE to have them. They know that others died because the Boomer generation based their childbearing on selfishness and convenience. They consider abortion part of the tired, old ethics (or lack of) they've inherited - but that they hope to deal with.
Lots of emphasis on the fact that each abortion has AT LEAST two victims - the mother and the child.
Pretty girls were all over the place!
My impression is that the crowd is overwhelmingly Catholic. Many groups of monks and nuns, groups praying the rosary as they marched. I love the mixture of the overwhelming joy and hope of the young people and the serious, somber recognition of our individual and collective sin.
Love her passion!
Kids, matching hats, see what I mean?
I found groups like these captivating. PS from Betty: "These are Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal from New York City. They were founded by Fr. Benedict Groeschell of the Capuchin Friars of the Renewal, in case you want to read more about them in particular. (I love his books and he's on EWTN every Sunday night at 7pm--he has a terrific New York sense of humor and it's a live show so it's always interesting)."
In spite of the cold, families turned out, too. One of my readers mentioned last week that she remembers her parents taking her to the March every year. Especially if you live close enough, let's start thinking about this for next year.
This group played a special march/anthem throughout the march.
Blue theme.
From a large group in yellow slickers.
This was the only counter-demonstrator I saw, though I assume there were others at the end of the March on the Capitol Steps. I asked if I could take her picture and she explained to me that her mother, who already had a few children, had had a dangerous pregnancy and had to have an abortion to save her own life. She went on to have five more kids, including this lady, who was the youngest. She was convinced that because of the possibility of similar situations, there should be no laws against abortion. She was crying and the mother in me wanted to wipe her tears away. Some Pro-Lifers had yelled slogans at her, but as we were talking a beautiful young woman (in the next picture) joined us to engage in some real dialogue.
Here is a picture of Pro-Life at its finest: while a few others had only answered the obviously upset counter demonstrator with slogans, this young woman came and listened to her story, then assured her that there is room in the Church's teaching for a case like her mother's (probably an ectopic pregnancy).
Can you feel the joy?
These kids were from a school in New York. I didn't have my notebook at this point - just my camera and my memory, which is not filling in the blank of the name of the school.
Thanks, Mom!
A group home from suburban Maryland. Two women with their own teenage kids and a few Little Extras!
The preceding pictures were of people headed for the rally, which took place before the actual March. Here, I've arrived and begun making my way to the Press Box.
I said, "Where are you from?" They said, "St. Mary's, Pennsylvania." I said, "There must be a lot of schools named St. Mary's in Pennsylvania. I mean which town." They said, "St. Mary's!" Sure enough, there is a town named St. Mary's in Pennsylvania. Looks like the home of happy kids :)
One of the most powerful speakers I've ever heard! In Martin Luther King-like cadence he spoke us of the genocide being visited on African-Americans through the "choice" of abortion. Fully one third of aborted babies are black - 500,000 lives lost each year. "They're lyin' while we're dyin'!" he intoned again and again and the crowd rippled with "Amen!" and "Tell it!" I looked around at the people in the press box and the small contingent from the main stream press looked bored and untouched. Maybe that's why - after sifting the news for half an hour this morning I have not been able to find the name of this dynamic speaker, who had already begun when I arrived at the press box. Heaven forbid that his message - and the fact that there are African-Americans who are passionately pro-life - should filter out to the populace. If anyone knows the identity of this preacher, please contact me - I want to interview him further. From Betty: His name is The Rev. Luke J. Robinson from Frederick, MD>
The power of the truth!
We need to hear so much more from this man!
Beside the press box.
Looking behind the press box.
Introducing a high school student who won the Best Pro-Life essay competition.
Introducing a middle school student who won the Best Pro-Life essay competition.
We don't think much of the fathers, do we?
An on-fire rabbi who was refreshingly politically incorrect in his impassioned plea that we fight the pillars of corruption in our culture: abortion, homosexuality, and pornography.
Afterwards, the older rabbi on the left blew a ram's horn.
The line-up of Catholic archbishops - interestingly, the only group that matches the abortion-promoters' stereotype and which one feminist blogger lifted from here to inaccurately characterize the pro-life movement.
Tears.
More tears. I said earlier that there are really AT LEAST two victims for each abortion. There are really many more.
This was one time when I was happy to see bilingual!
I could not get over the joy of the men and women who had dedicated their lives completely to God.
This group had a kinds Hebrew/reggae song they sang while dancing in a circle and hopping up and down - one way to keep warm :)
I saw this sign last year. This is what it's all about.
Oh, yeah!
A look at the future! Pray for all the kids who came to the march. Pray for their continued commitment and strength. Pray that their numbers will be doubled next year!
Any black person who doesn't see how abortion is being used against them, any black person who doesn't see the similarity between racism and abortion - where human beings are treated as property in the hands of another - really needs to ponder these things. Apparently, there are many who have.
With God's help, brother!
The Capitol Police didn't have much to do that day :)
This guy carried his own stool for better shots. I had to look for perches above the crowd wherever I could find them.
This is what it's all about.
A marcher from Stand True Ministries in Fredericksburg, VA. It takes all kinds of people to build a pro-life movement! Although we passed on a street after the march, I just knew he was pro-life and so I asked. Then took his picture.
The end and the beginning.
