ARTICLES
MARCH 2005 ARTICLES
Contents © 2005
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Soooooo Impressed!
6,000 Pro-Life Marchers Hit the Streets In San Francisco
BY JOSE CHUNG
On the morning of Saturday, January 22, over 6,000 pro-life demonstrators gathered at the Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco for the inaugural Walk for Life West Coast. Prior to the walk, a host of pro-life speakers addressed the crowd including Dolores Meehan, an organizer of the walk; Archbishop Levada; Sally Winn, vice president of Feminists for Life; Carol Crossed of Democrats for Life; and others.
According to Meehan, 39, a financial supporter of the pro-life movement, the time had come for her to take action. "I realized that money is important but now is the time to hit the streets," she said. "We need to stand up for what we believe in." Meehan, a fourth generation San Franciscan, said she was inspired by her own grandmother who was the offspring of a crisis pregnancy and by St. Gianna Molla.
Just a few blocks away, abortion supporters gathered for a rally of their own. One could hear the roar of those who had come not only to celebrate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade but also to confront the pro-life marchers. Both San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris attended the pro-abortion rally. The San Francisco board of supervisors also wholeheartedly supported it.
In fact, on January 11, Supervisor Tom Ammiano gathered on the steps of City Hall along with other supervisors to designate January 22, 2005 as "Stand Up for Choice Day." In a press release on the supervisors' website, Ammiano lamented the nation's conservative political standing. "Thirty-two years after the Roe v. Wade decision, we have an anti-choice President and an anti-choice majority in both houses of Congress," said Ammiano. "The assaults on women's health and rights are constant. The anti-choice climate in our nation's capitol has emboldened the minority of anti-choice Americans to a point where they think they can come to our fair city and demonstrate against basic human rights. We felt it was vital that San Francisco be on the record in support of reproductive freedom."
Supervisor Bevan Dufty denounced the Walk for Life West Coast marchers. "These outsiders who oppose women's right to participate fully in our society are not welcome in San Francisco," she said.
At about 11 a.m., the Walk for Life marchers — including this reporter — slowly streamed out of the plaza onto the Embarcadero and headed north toward Fisherman's Wharf. Marchers were quickly greeted by pro-abortion protesters who lined the east side of the street. For the next three miles to the end of the walk at the Marina Green, marchers carrying signs, many of which read, "Women Deserve Better Than Abortion," smiled cheerfully and walked peacefully while enduring taunts, obscenities, and glares from sideline protesters.
San Francisco police officers on foot and on motorcycles maintained a separation of about five feet between marchers and protesters. "The heroes of the day were the San Francisco police and the U.S. Park police," said Meehan. "They were proactive in keeping the peace. We are very grateful to the SFPD."
Some pro-abortion protestors yelled that the marchers should "go back home," while many frequently chanted, "anti-woman, anti-gay, right-wing bigots, go away!" Other chants included, "not the Church, not the state, women will decide our fate!" "Get up! Get down! We're pro-choice in this town!" and "Women deserve better, women deserve choice!" One man screamed that the multitudinous marchers looked like "fascisest zombies" while another man looked at us and yelled flamboyantly and sarcastically, "oh, I'm soooooo impressed!"
As I walked, I videotaped the protestors. The videotaping provoked strong reactions from some. I was personally given the one-finger salute at least a dozen different times. One young man in his 20s, nearly frothing at the mouth, vehemently screamed obscenities at marchers. When he saw me taping, he suddenly covered his face with one arm and pointed at me declaring, "you don't have my permission to film me! You're committing an illegal act! You don't have permission to film me! You're committing an illegal act!"
Protesters also waved a variety of signs: "It's A Choice, Not a Child," "Keep Abortion Legal," and "Keep Your Laws Off My Body." One young woman stared cheerlessly at the marchers while holding a sign that read, "Just Another Pro-Choice Catholic." One man with a bullhorn saw a group of priests walking and ridiculed them, claiming he had seen them molesting boys in the park. According to police, two pro-abortion protesters were arrested for assault on a police officer.
Meehan felt great pity for those on the sidewalk. "They were so wounded," she said. "They were a collection of broken spirits. I think we succeeded in being a witness to peace. Hopefully, if their hearts ever change, we're there for them. It [the walk] was the best witness to the Gospel I've ever seen."
The conspicuous contrast between the calm marchers and virulent protesters was astounding. According to the San Francisco Chronicle's front page story the next day, "about 6,000 antiabortion activists in the Walk for Life West Coast were jeered and harangued by about 3,000 advocates for abortion rights.." The paper noted that "the antiabortion group specifically avoided confronting its opponents, while the pro-choice contingent that lined the Embarcadero berated the larger group with insults" and that "for the most part, the antiabortion activists ignored taunts from pro-choice marchers, smiling politely in response to jeers." while "abortion rights advocates, however, were anything but subdued."
The diversity of age and ethnicity stretched across the abortion divide. Marchers and protesters alike were old and young as well as black, white, Hispanic, and Asian. Said Meehan, "People kept coming up to me and thanking me. Old people. Kids. Hispanic families. I wanted to just sit down and cry." Meehan estimated that 50 per cent of the marchers were from the Bay Area and about half of that number were from the City of San Francisco itself.
A trio of Loyola-Marymount University students trekked from Los Angeles for the walk. David Montes, a 19-year-old freshman, had mixed emotions about the event. "It was both very inspiring and to a degree intimidating," he said. "It was inspiring to see so many people who shared my world view in face of angry opposition. It was intimidating to see protesters, to hear the names they called us, to see the signs they waved, how they were quick to judge us and make us feel unworthy and unpopular. There was a lot of anger and hatred."
Montes said he came to the walk because he wanted to put his words into actions. "I wanted to see if I could carry the weight of my beliefs," he said.
He believes the Walk for Life was effective "if for no other reason than to raise awareness." Said Montes, "it's important to let people know that such a [pro-life] movement exists and will persist and will not go away easily." Kristen Imboden, a 19-year-old sophomore, echoed Montes' statement. "If nothing else, the walk made people aware that there is a pro-life movement in California and we're not going to be silenced," she said.
Erika Vega, a 22-year-old senior and the president of Loyola Marymount's Pro-Life Association, characterized the walk as "amazing" and "wonderful." Said Vega, "I loved it! It was powerful to be in solidarity with people who have the same passion and vision as you and to see the street ahead of you and behind you full of marchers."
While Vega is uncertain about the walk's impact on abortion advocates, she believes its effect on pro-life marchers is what counts. "If it [the walk] rejuvenates us, that's all that matters," she said. "It was effective as long as it changed us enough to give us the heart, strength, and passion to go back to our clubs, crisis pregnancy centers, jobs, and personal ministries with a heightened fervor for life. It motivated me. It definitely had an impact on me."
The students also addressed the complex reality of a pro-life president who has sent troops into a controversial and morally questionable war. "It's a difficult question," Montes admitted. "But I think abortion is a critical issue that preempts other issues." Regarding the war in Iraq, Montes said, "my feelings about the war in Iraq are undetermined right now. They're in reconstruction."
Imboden, a conservative Jew, is not a fan of the president. "I didn't vote for Bush," she said. "I voted for a third party." She pointed out that some pro-abortion protesters called marchers "racist, sexist and anti-gay." Said Imboden, "They're lumping us all together as one stereotype. I'm pretty much not right wing. I'm conservative on some issues." Imboden added, "It was interesting to see the diversity in the pro-life movement at the walk. Feminists for Life were there. Democrats for Life were there."
Although Vega would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned, she is not sure if the time is right. "I'm not sure we're ready for it," she said. "There needs to be more support for abortion alternatives. If we don't have the proper response, things could get messy."
Montes believes the fierce debate over a national ban on abortion points to something more profound. "The question points to a deeper issue," he said. "What is it about our society that forces a woman to decide between a back alley abortion and a legal abortion? Our society seems to view childbirth and pregnancy as a burden as opposed to something to be celebrated and cherished."