My big take-away from attending a pro-choice rally
I was afforded a unique opportunity on January 24 to unobtrusively observe a pro-choice rally.
I had been invited to speak in Austin by Texas Right to Life at a two-day conference for pro-life college students, which intersected on Saturday afternoon with the annual Texas Rally for Life.
Almost bizarrely, the pro-life rally was held on the south lawn of the capitol building at the same time a pro-abortion rally was held on the north lawn.
So, since I’ve attended quite a few pro-life rallies in my time, I thought I’d check out the other side’s.
Clothes and hair immediately separated the pro-abortion event from the pro-life event. But I actually admire people who freely express their external selves, as long as they don’t get nasty.
And hey, I have purple hair at the moment, so who am I to critique? (I actually think my hair helped me blend in.)
I also noted only two children in attendance – but lots and lots of pet dogs – pretty much the opposite of what you’d see at a pro-life event.
Then there was crowd size. Texas Rally for Life counted between 3-6,000 supporters. If the pro-choice rally had 300, I’d be surprised. And this at Ground Zero for them, where Wendy Davis took her hallowed stand in defense of late-term abortions.
But back to nasty, there were the signs – many with vulgar captions; many sporting tired, decades-old cliches; most making no sense if logically debated. (Explain how smegma, ovaries, and crotches have anything to do with abortion?) Click to enlarge…
But the real difference between events was the pro-life rally was all about stopping abortion, and the pro-choice rally was about a whole lot of things other than abortion.
I know why they have to do this. They have to maintain political correctness, and they have to glom abortion on to as many other liberal causes as possible to prop it up.
Anti-abortionists don’t do that. Abortion is our obsession, particularly on the anniversary of Roe v Wade.
But, quoting emcee Andrea Grimes (right), senior political reporter at the pro-abortion website RH Reality Check, being pro-choice means a bunch more than being pro-abortion:
We have a really incredible program coming up. We have speakers from all over Texas who do work across the reproductive justice spectrum. We have midwives, we have doulas, we have people who work at the HIV/AIDS community, we have domestic violence advocates, we have abortion funders, we have healthcare workers, we have state representatives, we really have a really incredible line-up….
So, of course, we’re here to celebrate Roe, we’re here to celebrate choice. But choice is only one very small part of why we are here. We are a pro-choice people, of course, but choice is about much, much more, because without Roe there is no choice, but so, too, without access to safe, legal reproductive healthcare clinics, there is no choice.
Without affordable childcare there is no choice. Without accessible [?] care there is no choice. Without paid family leave, there is no choice. Without affordable health insurance there is no choice. Without [?] there is no choice. When black families and brown families hear that their children will not come home at night, there is no choice. When police brutality is real, there is no choice. When trans and queer people cannot find appropriate and compassionate medical care, there is no choice. When higher education and vocational education is out of each, there is no choice. Roe is just the beginning of all these choices.
That last paragraph actually makes sense to me, as it relates to abortion, which is supposed to be code for “choice,” isn’t it?
Nevertheless, the point is there were many other issues covered. Communism and anti-Semitism were well represented at a book table.
As an aside, one speaker who was a bit rough around the edges had this message for pro-lifers she spotted leaving their rally (1:12:46 on the video):
All those people that’s against us, God bless they little hearts. But you know what? Their mama should have had an abortion.
This was met with wild applause and laughter from the crowd but was obviously a wincer for Grimes, who tried to cover:
Um, oh, God. I’m going to rephrase it. Everyone, no matter who they are or what they believe, deserves a choice.
lol.
Then there was this little slam (00:56:45-01:00:28 on the video) I condensed into a tweet, which exposed even more of the pro-abortion schism:
"It was white women who decided to make #abortion our primary issue, but it isn't." ~ Latina speaker at Austin #prochoice rally #roevwadetx
— Jill Stanek (@JillStanek) January 24, 2015
Ew. Remember this was said at a rally celebrating abortion.
At any rate, wow, what group can cover all those issues?
The answer is, it can’t.
Most of us know the example of the big rocks and little rocks. To be sure, pro-lifers involve themselves in proactive causes to preclude abortion, such as adoption, foster care, pregnancy care centers, and maternity homes.
But these directly relate.
Hey, I’m all for pro-choicers spreading themselves so thin they’re not effective. I’m all for them burning themselves out. I’m all for them taking their eye off the ball.
And that’s ultimately the message I got from their so-called “pro-choice” rally, which was about anything but.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Enlarge those photos? Thanks, but no thanks. I appreciate the view from the “other” side, so to speak. I’m surprised at the low number of pro-abortion protesters. Make one wonder about the Davis-filibuster demonstrators: how many were from out of state?
Not important, but I’m curious: did you see any signs celebrating the seven MEN (six of them white) who imposed Roe on the nation?
[…] RELATED: My big take-away from attending a pro-choice rally […]
You would think at least for their own personal events they would stay on point, I wonder if this is how their private meetings and discussions work. They say they want to get rid of “abortion stigma” but they can’t even make abortion the centerpiece of an abortion rally. That says it all.
So not surprised by their low numbers.
When push comes to shove they don’t show up.
So glad you and your purple hair made an appearance, Jill!!!
On what street corner does Andrea Grimes work?
On what street corner does Andrea Grimes work?
lol & spewing coffee on my screen!
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The numbers tell the story.
And the age difference.
And the fact that abortion enthusiasts are afraid to say the word abortion. (Why isn’t Andrea Grimes’s blog called Abortion Reality Check?)
The intensity gap is fiercely not in their favor.
The other problem they face is that times have changed, and they have no new message. “Choice” isn’t selling anymore, “blob of tissue” is proven false, etc. So they are scrambling to find some sort of message that will stick — And they still might. “War on Women” worked for a little while.
Meanwhile, they are struggling to attach abortion to every worthwhile movement that might appeal to their demographic. Paid family leave? Vocational education? When did abortioneers ever care about such things?
Too bad I didn’t know you would be in town or I’d have tried to find you!
LOL, Jill with purple hair.
Del, the new watch word is “shame”. Planned Parenthood had a lobby day in my state. If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times. It is all about “shaming women”. Making sure women are informed about abortion is shaming them. Notifying a parent about a minor’s abortion is about shaming them. On and on so much it was nauseating.
I also was in Austin this past weekend for the Rally for Life, and also noticed the angry and bitter pro-abortion demonstrators. I know they prefer to be called “pro-choice”, but when they hold signs like the ones you show, or “Abortion on demand and without apology”, I think their true agenda shines through.
They have to lasso in every possible issue they can because abortion itself isn’t gonna generate any enthusiasm.
Aside from the fact that Ms. Grimes’ attire was inappropriate (although I suppose appropriate for the pro-choice crowd), isn’t she cold dressed like that? It’s been freezing here in the northeast and mid-atlantic states. What is she doing wearing tights and a miniskirt?
That was Austin, TX, Shannon. They have temps in the 60’s and 70’s this week.
Grimey’s outfit is roughly equivalent (warmth-wise) to Jill’s scarf and the jackets worn by some of the sign-holders.
However we are still scratching our heads at the question, “What is she doing wearing tights and a miniskirt?”
Don’t get me wrong — Like Jill, I favor an eccentric spirit of self-expression. I’m a middle-aged dude who wears Utilikilts most of the year!…. But then again, I have the legs for it.
There were some pro aborts on the south side, too.
I heckled them saying, “Why are there so FEW of them? I wonder why there are so FEW of them!” Apparently they practice what they preach with obvious and predictable results. Perhaps they just make clear Sanger’s maxim, “More from the fit, less from the unfit.” Self fulfilling prophecy.
Jill, I wish I had known you were there, I would have said, “Hi!”
Hey, don’t make fun; I rocked that kind of outfit until a few years, er, I mean, a few pounds ago. Shorts plus stockings is a comfy way to look like you’re wearing a mini, with the added bonus of sitting and bending without all the show.
But, wow, those pro-choice signs are really awful! I’m glad that their numbers are dwindling, who needs more terrible un-science and non-biology?!
I’ve learned that in order to make a really awesome pro-abortion sign all you have to do is reference a random part of the female body or reference some excretion of the body and then demand people keep _______(insert random religious artifact or ideological component here) off of it. BAM! There you go. You’re ready for your pro-abortion rally.
On what street corner does Andrea Grimes work? – not many I’d guess. Charming. Aren’t they all clogged with sidewalk ‘counsellors’ anyway.
Making sure women are informed about abortion is shaming them. Notifying a parent about a minor’s abortion is about shaming them. On and on so much it was nauseating.
Exactly. Lies on top of lies. As someone else said, what else do they have? Dishonest rhetoric and degrading euphemisms are about it.
The woman who said of pro-life people, Their moms should have had abortions, revealed the sorry truth of pro-abortion hate before she realized that she had let the truth slip out and tried to do some damage control.
Oh, and about abortions for underage minors: In public schools, no student of any age can even take an aspirin for a headache without clearing that with a student nurse. Students cannot even carry their own prescription meds in their pockets or purses – those have to be held by school medical personnel throughout the day. In all such cases, parents must sign a permission slip allowing their children or teens to take meds.
It is a hugely hypocritical dichotomy that pro-aborts think youth should be able to make a much more important decision on their own without parental knowledge or guidance.
NOTE TO PRO-ABORTS: A parent is held responsible for a minor’s well-being in every way. But how can they be responsible if such important info is withheld from them?
In a school district with which I was once affiliated, the county school superintendent and his wife (who worked as a secretary in the school system) came up with an evil plan: He would give permission, and she would transport, teens to have abortions in a neighboring state where they had contacts. I use the word “teens” advisedly, as some of them were 11 and 12 years old. :(
When it finally came to light, he and she were made to leave town and move out of state. However, neither of them received any more punishment than that. They were free to continue their nefarious activities elsewhere.
Reality,
The street corner I was referring to wouldn’t have any “counselors”.
There are many street corners they can ply their trade on Mary.