Troublesome Participants and Associations at the 46th Annual March for Life

This year, every year since 1974, the annual March for Life was held in Washington, D.C. Friday to protest the 1973 United States Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion.  Tens of thousands participated in the 46^th annual march, as well as many more in other cities around the Union, which are ignored by all but local media.

            This year’s march was problematic, as I had warned in posts about previous marches and the overall challenge of advancing the right to life in the current political circumstances and disastrous for the pro-life cause in terms of publicity, among other reasons. 

            In attendance were representatives of an anti-Catholic “Christian” church who held signs calling the Pope the “Antichrist” and the Catholic Church an “Abomination.”  They told the attendees that they and others supporting the pro-life cause would go to Hell for not being adequately pro-life.  Such hateful organizations repel others to the pro-life cause and undermine Christian unity for the right to life.  They should be banned from future participation in the March for Life.

            Usually, the March for Life is peaceful and respectful and does not make news for unusual arguments that could reasonably be misinterpreted or misbehavior, as the liberal media usually prefers to ignore or minimize it.  However, some participants in this year’s protest provided the media an opportunity.  The biggest news events from the march were for a point made by a conservative speaker that even “Baby Hitler” would not have been aborted if pro-lifers would have had the opportunity and a group Catholic high schoolers who participated in the march wearing the Donald Trump slogan “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” apparel who taunted Native American participants of a separate protest near the Vietnam War Memorial with physical intimidation, mocking and Trumpist shouts of “Build the wall!”  Such behavior was inconsistent with the pro-life philosophy of welcoming every human life and loving every human being and respecting the freedom to peaceful assembly.

            The overall association of the march with Trump was the most problematic issue.  Trump may be advancing anti-abortion policies, although he has failed to make good on his promise to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood and is appointing pro-life judges, but he is not pro-life.  Being pro-life does not mean adopting liberal policies or opposing just war, but it does mean more than opposing abortion and euthanasia.  It means opposing the deliberate taking of innocent human lives.  Instead, Trump praised the policy of the Filipino President of promoting murder of suspected drug dealers.  His overly broad travel ban, which risks the lives of some of those who help the United States in the War on Terrorism, killed an American woman whose organ donor was denied entry.  Trump’s restrictive policies toward refugees fleeing for their lives knowingly puts them needlessly at risk of death.  Moreover, as I have previously warned, Trump’s misogyny, promotion of nativism—often with dehumanizing rhetoric—and authoritarian tendencies taint the pro-life cause by making it appear not to be based upon respecting the dignity of every human life and defending liberty.   

            It is appropriate for pro-lifers, conservatives and Republicans to appreciate and support Trump’s anti-abortion actions, but not to be overall supporters of him or his Trumpist policies, such as nativism and support for authoritarianism and to allow the pro-life movement to become too associated with Trump or Trumpism.  It is even more inappropriate for Church leaders to make alliance with Trump or to support Trumpism. 

Therefore, it was especially shocking and disappointing that the leader of Priests for Life, Father Frank Pavone, a participant in the march, made an anti-refugee statement last week at odds with Christian teaching about love and the dignity of life and the Christian requirement to welcome refugees fleeing for their lives, even though the refugees are usually Christians.  During the presidential election, when Trump was calling for the murder of the families of terrorists and while Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan openly supported his candidacy, and ever since, including in the nativist statement, Pavone has continued to promote the “MAGA” Trump slogan, which puts his ministry at risk for losing its tax exemption, let alone undermines its purpose.  Given Pavone’s Trumpism, the hateful behavior of the Catholic high schoolers who look to him for leadership toward the Native Americans is not surprising.  I call upon the United States Catholic Bishops Conference and the Pope to rebuke Pavone publicly and strip him of his ministry as head of Priests for Life.  It is one thing for the Church to conclude a concordat with a despotic regime to safeguard freedom of religion for its flock, but another to make an alliance with any government, let alone to be associated with one with such immoral policies.  

The pro-life movement must immediately disassociate with evil governments, organizations and people and clearly disavow evil policies and deeds.  It should refocus on love, life and liberty.