(AFP) – Tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists, joined by masked neo-Nazis, converged in Washington on Friday to hear President Donald Trump address a rally. The self-described “pro-life” movement is on a roll as it staged the 52nd annual March for Life on the National Mall, invigorated by recent victories to restrict abortion and Trump’s return to the presidency. They scored a historic win in 2022 when the conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling enshrining the right to abortion access everywhere in the United States.
The march was something of a victory lap for the new Republican president, who claims credit for the ruling after appointing three of the conservative justices who were behind the decision during his first term. “In my second term, we will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump said in a pre-taped video message broadcast to the crowd. Trump, who was touring natural disaster zones in North Carolina and California, vowed to “protect the historic gains” made by the anti-abortion movement.
At least 100 members of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, marched in military style to the sidelines of the rally and stood in columns holding US flags, Christian symbols, and banners reading “Strong families make strong nations.” Their leader Thomas Rousseau — flanked by two men with white bandanas covering their faces — told AFP in front of the Washington Monument he believed in “patriotic principles,” including the “restitution of the American family unit.” “We’re here to espouse our ideas in front of a lot of people who care about issues, morality, the state of the country,” said Rousseau, 26, though he noted Patriot Front was not supported by the March for Life organization. Some rally attendees were angered by the group’s presence. “Pro life isn’t pro white,” said 36-year-old Greg Stearns, a philosophy teacher from North Carolina, who added, “I can’t stand seeing them here. It sends all the wrong messages.”
The “March for Life” started with a rally on the National Mall, featuring speeches from high-ranking Republicans including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Holding signs reading “Let’s love little lives” and “God will not be mocked,” protestors in winter clothes walked towards the Supreme Court and US Capitol. Some wore Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats but most people did not have political paraphernalia, with many attending as part of church and religious school groups. Organizers say the goal of their movement is to not only change laws, “but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable.”
“This shows that the silent majority is here and loud. It’s huge that we can be here and unified,” said Reagan West, a 20-year-old business student at the evangelical Liberty University in Virginia. Many conservative states have acted since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling to introduce curbs, and 29 percent of women aged between 18 and 44 now live in an area where abortion is mostly or entirely banned, according to the website Politifact. Polls, however, repeatedly show a clear majority of Americans support continued access to safe abortion.
Trump has touted himself as the “most pro-life president ever” and in 2020 became the first sitting commander-in-chief to attend the March for Life. But he has a spotty record on the issue and, worried that a strong anti-abortion stance could be a vote loser, Trump refused to back a federal ban during his election campaign. “Praise God for President Trump. He’s not our Savior, though,” said David Makovey, who flew from California for the march.
Makovey, a 27-year-old construction worker, told AFP that he supported Trump’s recent decision to pardon 23 anti-abortion activists jailed for blockading abortion clinics. On Friday, the Washington Post reported the Justice Department will scale back prosecuting demonstrators who interfere with patient access to reproductive health clinics. “A lot of people question his faith… at least President Trump is doing something about it, right?” Makovey added.
– Ben Turner and Frankie Taggart
© 2024 AFP
