Chain Gang Watches TV

EWTN Broadcast of the Pro-Life March in Washington, DC

January 24, 2005

 

Way back when, a couple of us went to a pro-life rally. One thing that stood out comparing then with now was the dearth of elected officials. Congressman Henry Hyde was one we remember seeing, but other than that the speakers were mostly firebrands from one pro-life organization or another. This time, it seems like the elected officials were out in force.

The first speaker we heard was Sen. Sam Brownback from Kansas. Sen. Brownback served out the balance of Sen. Dole's term after his failed bid for the Presidency in 1996 -- that way, Sen. Dole didn't have to endure Senatorial tedium after the votes were counted.

Sen. Brownback spoke about a new bill, The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (S.2466 and H.R.4420). This bill -- news to us -- will "require those who perform abortions on unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization to inform the woman seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain -- a. through a verbal statement given by the abortion provider; and b. by providing a brochure--developed by the Department of Health and Human Services--that goes into more detail than the verbal statement on the medical evidence of pain experienced by an unborn child 20 weeks after fertilization."

Further, "The bill would also ensure that the woman, if she chooses to continue with the abortion procedure after being given the medical information, has the option of choosing anesthesia for the child, so that the unborn child's pain is less severe. Women should not be kept in the dark; women have the right to know what their unborn child experiences during an abortion. After being presented with the medical and scientific information on the development of the unborn child 20 weeks after fertilization, the woman is more aware of the pain experienced by the child during an abortion procedure, and able -- at the very least -- to make an informed decision. It is simply not fair to keep women in the dark."

Then we saw another co-sponsor of The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey. He was fairly passionate about the bill and is convinced that once women understand what it is they're doing, the number of abortions will drop dramatically.

It should be noted that there are a bunch of women at these affairs. As Michelle Malkin reports, the majority of the email from our previous abortion post is from women. This was something that struck us when we first became familiar with pro-life organizations and events. We expected to find a bunch of moralizing men, but, shock of shock, most of the folks were women. In fact, we received a response from a member of Feminists for Life who reported that their membership is far in excess of the National Organization for Women -- our regular readers know that we're a little light on the fact-checking, but we're fair to those who would like to correct us . . . feel free.

The speakers' podium was chaired by a woman and each speaker was ringed by about fifty women holding signs saying, "I Regret My Abortion." They seemed pretty serious to us.

The representatives kept coming. One notable New Jersey Congressman, whose name we missed, wore a beautiful black Stetson hat with a gray band and matching gray scarf. He looked serious too and said that it was America's duty to defend those who cannot defend themselves and that the most basic justice of all was the right to life. It's right there in the Declaration of Independence -- we're pretty sure it's right there by the Creator and unalienable rights stuff. By the way, we're still looking for someone to write for us that will establish that the unborn -- despite unique DNA and fingerprints -- are not eligible for said unalienable rights (see the P.S.).

Next up -- a shoutin' Congressman Rick Renzi. A giant man who was probably shouting because Washington, DC is so much colder than what he typically experiences in Arizona. Or, maybe he was excited. He shouted about the existence of Crisis Preganancy Centers that seem to be overlooked by normal media outlets. He urged everyone within the sound of his voice to volunteer at these centers that help women with unexpected pregnancies who don't have a financial interest in seeing these women have abortions. And, if you can't volunteer -- even if you can -- Con. Renzi wants you to right a check. He also shouted that he had twelve children -- seven boys and five girls -- maybe that's why he was shouting.

There was also Maryland's Congressman Roscoe Bartlett and Congressman Bobby Jindall from Louisiana. The list is not comprehensive as we're not the best note takers and other things require our attention from time to time.

You see. Elected officials. This seems to suggest that elected officials think it is important to be seen at such rallies. H-m-m-m. What could this mean? We leave that for you to ponder.

But, it wasn't all politicians. They interviewed folks in the crowd. Ashley Pavlic of Princeton University's "Princeton Pro-Life" (who knew?). Ms Pavlic reported that there was no hostility directed toward her or her group at the rightly esteemed University. The biggest problem? Apathy. It seems that most of the folks she talks with could care less about abortion. "They don't have a position."

And, Jacquelyn Smith, reported in for Youth for Life in North, TX. She was a perky shouter that wore a big red, "God is Pro-Life" button on her overcoat.

A very subdued Robert Shindler appeared at the podium to urge everyone to pray for his daughter Terry Schiavo and promote her website -- Terri's Fight.org (the site was not available to us, we listed here for your reference).

Our T.V. watching ended with the interview of a couple of women from Rachel's Vineyard. One from Iowa and Bernadette from Cork County, Ireland. Bernadette reported that abortion was still illegal in Ireland, but women can go to England and get an abortion. Rachel's Vineyard works with the "millions of post-abortive women and men who struggle in silence with shame, guilt and other emotional problems caused by their decisions."

There was a mention of a Dutch ship that arrived off the coast of Ireland in order for women to come aboard for an abortion. All we heard was that it didn't work out too well and we were left to imagine the pub clearing out and the row boats heading out to meet the Dutch ship with a little instruction being unleashed upon the dazzled Dutch heads.