'Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman'

On Friday, Jan. 24, about a dozen parishioners from Warwick’s Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, traveling by charter bus with members of Sacred Heart Parish in Monroe, joined the 47th March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Other local residents traveled by car or with their children on bus trips organized by local Catholic high schools.

The numbers are not reported but Warwick resident Richard Held thought the event was attended by hundreds of thousands and that it was so crowded people had trouble staying together, seeing if anyone they knew was close by or even loosing overloaded cell phone service.

This year’s March for Life theme was “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman” and it attracted thousands of women, many of them young students, from as far away as Alaska.

The president addressed the crowd

The march was kicked off by a rally on the National Mall where President Trump, the first U.S. president to appear at this event, addressed the crowd.

As this year also marks the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, the women’s suffrage movement was highlighted, with emphasis on their pro-life stance.

Among those who traveled to Washington, D.C. by car were Warwick residents Glenn and Miriam Muse.

'We are not at odds with each other'

“One speaker,” said Miriam Muse, “explained that it was a great opportunity to go back and look at the suffragist, the early feminist, who recognized the inherent dignity of women and the inherent dignity of the unborn. We’re not at odds with each other and they had a really good understanding about that. And another speaker quoted Mother Teresa who said ‘Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women; half the babies and all the mothers.'”

Muse added that diverse speakers included State Sen. Katrina Jackson (D-LA) who emphasized that this is an issue that hits every community, and it’s not about where we come from or what party we’re in.

Glenn Muse, who attended the March for the first time, noted the immensity of the crowd and how impressed he was by the conduct of the marchers.

“The tone,” he said, “was upbeat. It brought out the best in people. And so many showed up, especially young people and families who conducted themselves in such a respectful and orderly manner.”

Muse stated that he observed many acts of kindness and how happy the participants were celebrating the value of every human life. He said that he plans to be back with his wife, Miriam, each year, until this March is no longer needed.