Students For Life Asked to Participate in Women's March. Now They'll Protest. Here's Why.
Pro-Life Group Says March Organizers Did Not Respond to Their Many Attempts to Apply to be a Partner
The national pro-life group Students For Life of America will hold a demonstration at the Women's March on Washington after reportedly not getting approval to be an organizing partner.
The Women's March on Washington is scheduled to be held in the Nation's Capital the day after president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.
SFLA recently announced on Facebook that they are planning to demonstrate at the March, as they believe the agenda for the event is biased toward the pro-choice perspective.
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"We are going to show those in attendance at the Women's March that the very thing they are marching against, violence against women, is what they are promoting and lauding with their support for abortion," stated their Facebook event.
"We will not sit by as the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, a sponsor of this March, betrays women into thinking abortion is the only choice."
In comments sent to The Christian Post, SFLA President Kristan Hawkins explained that she attempted to contact March organizers regarding involvement, but that they never responded.
"They refused to acknowledge my inquiries into being a sponsor, perhaps thinking I was a college student, even though it was clear who I represented, the largest national youth pro-life organization," said Hawkins.
"Even though they put forth the message that they are inclusive and are demonstrating for a variety of issues, I think they deliberately leave out pro-life organizations, deeming us not the 'right people' for their message."
Hawkins also told CP that she hoped that the demonstration at the March would show pro-choice attendees that they should convert to the pro-life viewpoint.
"We want to show the nation that this generation of young people are pro-women and pro-life and that social justice matters to us as well and it should be applied equally to the human race," continued Hawkins.
"We want to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of these demonstrators that Planned Parenthood and their allies aren't what they seem, that they aren't a force for good and, at the end of the day, all they care about is their profit margins and electoral victories, no matter the cost."
The Women's March on Washington identifies itself as a major rally meant to emphasize the importance of women's rights in particular and human rights in general.
"The Women's March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us," noted the March's website.
"We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society."
While the Women's March on Washington has not officially labeled itself pro-choice, many of the partnering organizations are specifically pro-choice, including most notably Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the National Organization for Women.
To become an official partner in the March, an organization had to fill out an online form. Under the "Organization's Primary Area(s) of Focus" section of the form, "Reproductive Rights" is listed as one of the options.
In a statement sent to CP via email by a spokesperson for the March, it was explained it was "an inclusive movement" and that they "welcome all women to join us on January 21 in Washington, D.C."
"We believe that women's rights are human rights, and that women should have the ability to choose for themselves whether it be about their bodies, their religion, their sexuality or the many other issues that the March will address, ranging from race, ethnicity, gender, religion, immigration and health care," read the emailed statement.
"The Women's March on Washington aims to send a message to all levels of government and the incoming Presidential administration, that we stand together in solidarity and expect elected leaders to act to protect the rights of women, their families and their communities."
Regarding the SFLA's application to be a partner, March organizers explained in a separate statement emailed to CP that the high interest in the event has meant a lot of forms have been submitted.
"As you can imagine, we are receiving numerous requests from hundreds of organizations who have expressed an interest in becoming a partner for the Women's March," stated the organizers.
"If we have yet to receive a form from an organization, we encourage all organizations to start there. We are engaging with partners from diverse backgrounds and we look forward to making this a historic and successful march for all women and their families."
