For over 40 years, pro-life advocates have gathered in Washington, D.C. to encourage lawmakers to overturn the monumental Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. Together, the two cases declared abortion a constitutional right and reversed most laws against abortion in U.S. states; more specifically, Roe legalized abortion nationwide during the first trimester of a pregnancy. However, as this year’s March for Life made clear, the tide may finally be turning.
“Pro-life is pro-science” was a major theme of the 46th annual March for Life. Many speakers emphasized that science now confirms life begins at conception. During a live recording of The Ben Shapiro Show, Ben Shapiro refuted 10 of the most common justifications of abortion. He was careful to note that in debunking these 10 arguments, he never once needed the help of religion. Shapiro refrained from using religious reasoning until after he had exposed the flaws of the 10 claims through logic and scientific examination.
Daniel Caballero ‘19, an attendee of the 2019 March for Life, stated, “I believe the movement will succeed because it is no longer motivated purely by religion. Technological advances have provided us with much scientific evidence showing conception as the beginning of life. This gives the pro-life cause a much stronger argument.”
Interestingly enough, many mainstream media pieces on Shapiro’s talk focused more on criticizing his brief use of an analogy involving “baby Hitler” instead of the many other logically sound arguments he put forth. This angle was soon repeated by more and more news organizations, perhaps signaling an unwillingness or inability by these journalists to engage and/or defeat Shapiro’s assertions.
Bipartisan support makes the success of the movement much more possible. The pro-life cause is not restricted to one gender, race, or political party. It is accessible and literally vital to all. Caballero remarked, “it was inspiring to see how many people came to D.C. from all over the world to support the pro-life cause. We encountered people from as far away as France.”
Both Democratic and Republican congressmen and women spoke at the March. Vice President Pence appeared as a special guest on Ben Shapiro’s program, and later addressed the marchers in person, declaring, “we gather here because we believe as our founders did that we are, all of us, born and unborn, endowed by our creator, with certain unalienable rights and first among these rights is the right to life”.
President Trump spoke to the crowd via video, reflecting, “we know that every life has meaning and that every life is worth protecting”. He also promised to veto any legislation that “weakens the protection of human life”.
Providence Academy Headmaster Dr. Todd Flanders is “hopeful for progress [with regard to pro-life legislation] because the science and logic are so absolutely clear”.
Most inspiring to Flanders, however, were the estimated 250,000 plus people “standing for truth and dignity”. He noted that “peace, love, and hope properly understood allowed for a peaceful event where genuine love of human persons and our differences was conveyed in a respectful way. I’m proud to live in this country where we can offer our concerns, converse, and express disagreement.”
As Fr. Richard John Neuhaus expressed at the 2008 convention of the National Right to Life Committee, “until every human being created in the image and likeness of God is protected in law and cared for in life, we shall not weary, we shall not rest. And, in this great human rights struggle of our time and all times, we shall overcome”.
For More Information:
March for Life – Reasons for Hope: https://marchforlife.org/reasons-for-hope/
Huff Post – Ben Shapiro Wouldn’t Kill Baby Hitler: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-shapiro-anti-abortion-pro-life-rally-kill-baby-hitler_us_5c4201b8e4b0a8dbe1710b72
The Ben Shapiro Show Ep. 698 – The March for Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tiawDAzeF4&app=desktop