Last weekend we saw hundreds-of-thousands participate in The Women's March in Washington, D.C. and millions more across the country and around the world. Now one could rightly claim that this demonstration was inappropriately named since many men and children were also in attendance. It may have been more aptly called The March for All the Issues That Affect the Lives of Women and Their Families Here and Around the World but, admittedly, that would be a mouthful to say and make for some rather large signs and banners. Just try putting that on a button.
This weekend we will be witness to another rally, something that has been occurring for about the last 40 years, the annual Pro-Life rally. I think it's about time they consider renaming the rally and all the ground-roots organizations across the country that support and organize it. Why, you ask?
Well, and mind you this is just my opinion, I truly question their intent and indeed their sincerity. Are they really all that 'pro-life'? Shouldn't it be called what it really is? Since it's timed to occur around the time of the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, it could most simply be called the Anti-Roe v. Wade March, or to simplify it even farther The Anti-Abortion March. After all, that's just what it is. They could call it The Anti-Choice March since they're advocating for the right for a woman to make a choice for herself to be taken away. Or how about The March For My Religion to Dictate How You Should Live Your Life or The March for My Religion to Dictate What Rights You Have. However in most of these cases they would present a problem when it comes to signage. So, from an economic view point, 'pro-life' does seem to be the most logical alternative. But are they being honest? Are they doing everything they can to show they live up to their claim that they are truly 'pro-life'? Are they:
marching to protest the cutting of funds that help provide children and families with healthy, affordable meals, at home or in school?
marching to make sure that children and families have access to affordable health care?
marching to assure that senior citizens, after contributing for years to social security and medicare, aren't suddenly deprived of monies, even many times in pitifully small amounts, that will allow them to survive, in most cases simply to give bigger tax breaks to the most wealthy?
marching to protest those tax breaks that inevitably put more hardships on the shoulders of the poor and middle class?
marching to increase the minimum wage so that millions would be ensured of providing for their families without being required to work two or three jobs and then face criticism because they're not spending enough time at home?
marching to protest the cutting of funds to our schools, where substandard conditions jeopardize the education of our children thus creating a generation that is thrust ill-prepared into a fast evolving technical world?
marching to support the teachers who are entrusted with the care and supervision of our children, often having to spend money out of their own pockets to make sure the children have what is needed to give them a proper, even simply rudimentary, education?
marching to protest the inadequacies in our foster care and adoption systems that find too many children falling through the cracks, living in homes where they're subject to abuse, not being allowed to find a loving 'forever home' because your religion finds moral fault with the people who wish to open their hearts to a child in need of a family?
marching to protest capital punishment, the use of torture, war?
If they're not also marching for any of these things, at least in my opinion, they are not truly 'pro-life' and should rename themselves and their movement for what they are...Pro-Fetus. Instead, they don the label and march under the banner of I AM PRO-LIFE because in their eyes it puts them on a higher moral plain, thus showing to the rest of the amoral heathens around them (and i would most likely be considered one) that they are surely the better, the more superior, the holier. But until they can say that they march for any of the above reasons and with as much passion they can never really say they are 'pro-life'. We are all 'pro-life' but to paraphrase from "The Princess Bride", I don't think that phrase mean what they think it does.
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