And of all the powerful impressions left - - enthusiasm, enormous crowd size -- none was more dominating than the presence everywhere of young people. They were seemingly omnipresent. Clearly, the Movement's future is in good hands.
MARCH FOR LIFE DRAWS ENORMOUS CROWD
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And of all the powerful impressions left - - enthusiasm, enormous crowd size -- none was more dominating than the presence everywhere of young people. They were seemingly omnipresent. Clearly, the Movement's future is in good hands. |
In one
of the largest Marches for Life in memory, a gigantic crowd of pro-lifers
assembled at the foot of the Washington Memorial January 22 to remember the over
40 million unborn babies who have died since 1973.
A combination of a sunny if cold day and the great enthusiasm generated by the
replacement of pro-abortion President Bill Clinton by pro-life President George
W. Bush lent the commemoration of the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade an
unmistakable aura of optimism and renewed commitment.
President Bush added to the atmosphere of renewal and reinvigoration with a
strong pro-life message read to the huge throng by pro-life champion Chris Smith
(R-NJ).
"We share a great goal: to work toward a day when every child is welcomed
in life and protected in law," Mr. Bush said. "We know this will not
come easily, or all at once. But the goal leads us onward: to build a culture of
life, affirming that every person, at every stage and season of life, is created
equal in God's image."
If that weren't enough to rev up an already energized crowd, a few minutes later
word came that the President was about to reinstate the "Mexico City
Policy," the pro-life initiative established by President Reagan and then
reversed in one of Bill Clinton's first acts in office.
The Mexico City Policy requires that private overseas organizations, if they
wish to be eligible for funding under the U.S. population-control aid program,
must agree not to perform abortions (except to save the life of the mother, or
in cases of rape or incest), and not to "actively promote abortion as a
method of family planning" (i.e., by campaigning to weaken or repeal the
pro-life laws of foreign nations), with U.S. funds or any other funds.
The March for Life rally followed its customary route up Constitution Avenue,
arriving at the Supreme Court. Many then went to lobby their elected officials.
The Park Police no longer provides estimates of crowd sizes. But the Washington
Post, no friend of the Movement, mentioned in its coverage that the March,
"which took about 35 minutes last year, took 1.5 hours yesterday" to
complete.
And of all the powerful impressions left - - enthusiasm, rededication, enormous
crowd size - - none was more dominating than the presence everywhere of young
people. As you looked around, these young men and women seemed almost
omnipresent.
Clearly, the Movement's future is in good hands.