In Washington, anti-abortion activists almost cry “victory”

“I have never seen so much enthusiasm! », says Jeanne Mancini, the president of the March for Life (« March for Life “), from the big stage erected on the Mall, the great green space of Washington. In front of her, tens of thousands of people – including legions of college and high school students – hold up signs “Kill abortion, not children ».

Gathered in freezing cold, Friday, January 21, the participants in this major annual meeting of anti-abortion activists have reason to be motivated. By June, the Supreme Court could give them the victory they have been waiting for since the launch of their rally in 1974: the total or partial invalidation of the “Roe v. Wade”.

The high court, with a conservative majority since the appointment of three judges under the Trump presidency, must rule on the constitutionality of a Mississippi law which authorizes most abortions (voluntary termination of pregnancy) until the fifteenth week of pregnancy. pregnancy. That is two months before the threshold authorized by the founding judgment of 1973 and others that followed it. “We have the historic opportunity to right the wrong that has been donethroughRoe », Judge Peter Ponfilio, a Catholic who would not have missed this year’s march ” for nothing in the world ».

“Equality begins in the womb”

The theme for the 2022 edition was “equality begins in the womb”. A way for movement pro-life to recall that abortion primarily affects non-Hispanic black women: 38.4% of women who had an abortion in 2019, according to the offices of the CDC, the public health agency.

It is also a way to reclaim the themes of justice and equal rights, abandoned to the American left after the murder of African American George Floyd by a white police officer in May 2020. Several activists and elected officials, invited to express themselves during the march, have also made their commitment to the right to life in line with that of Martin Luther King. ” It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not for all people remarked black activist Toni McFadden, quoting the famous Atlanta pastor and civil rights icon, to cheers from the marchers.

The prospect of an America cut in two

If it would represent a major victory, the questioning of “Roe” would not mark the end of the anti-abortion fight. Indeed, in the event of invalidation of the judgment, it would be up to the States to set their own policy in terms of access to abortion. A perspective that foreshadows an America cut in two: one where abortion would be widely available and the other where it would not.

“We can’t stop at Roe. Some women will still seek an abortion, even if the practice is illegal”, believes Sharon McDowell, who came to demonstrate with her sister. A Catholic from Virginia, the neighboring state, she advocates financial and material support for poor women, the most likely to terminate their pregnancy due to lack of means and family support necessary to raise a child.

→ READ: Abortion: in Texas, the “pro-lifers” have imposed their law

Jacob Comello, who has been on the march since 2018, agrees. “The movement will have to put pressure on political decision-makers in the States to put in place policies in defense of life. We will also need to redouble our efforts to reach out to women who are considering abortion, whether by getting involved in the support programs that exist in churches or by volunteering in crisis pregnancy centers.”, believes this Catholic. Present throughout the country, these structures, often backed by Christian groups, offer a range of services – parenting training, purchase of diapers and other baby products, psychological support – intended to help future mothers.

Make abortion “unthinkable”

In the early afternoon, the procession concludes its march in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington. Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More, which highlights the stories of women who regret terminating their pregnancies to raise awareness, addresses the crowd: “We won’t win the battle against abortion until we make it unthinkable ».

There is work: according to a survey by the CNN channel published this Friday, less than a third of the American population (30%) is in favor of a complete reversal of “Roe”.

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