“I never thought I’d be here with all these pro-life people,” said a woman known as “Gigi” at a small table on the edge of downtown’s Los Angeles State Historic Park. She said, “I believe that women have the right to choose.”
She was collecting signatures there. california ballot initiative To protect minors from the harmful effects of gender ideology, from chemical castration to biological males participating in women’s sports. Her own teenage daughter’s experience with sports inspired Gigi to get involved in sports. That’s why Gigi was here on her rainy January Saturday. 10th Annual OneLife LA Marching in search of the proverbial strange compatriot.
Less than 60 feet away from Gigi stood a far more typical example of pro-life activism. Tim was a tall white man in his late 60s with sad eyes, carrying a comb and a placard with an enlarged color photo of a fetus in her womb.he was there to rally support for a cause constitutional amendment It would extend the personality to the moment of conception.
Both Gigi and Tim, like many of the other participants I met, were perfectly pleasant and eager to talk, most of whom fell between the two ideological extremes. The exception was a group of paparazzi-weary Franciscan sisters who I couldn’t charm with their opening words: “Are you Catholic?”
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Tammy: “During college, I encouraged a friend to have an abortion. Luckily, she listened to another Catholic friend and went on to have the baby. [Later] When I read Mother Teresa’s words, “If a mother can kill her own child, what’s left for me to kill you and you to kill me?” I realized it was true. I did. ”
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Pole: ”In my service as a parish priest, I have worked with people who have given birth to children in extremely difficult circumstances, people who are struggling to raise children with special needs, elderly people with severe disabilities, I have met people facing death.these [situations] They are all very difficult, but I have seen them bring people closer to each other and closer to God. ”
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Miguel (right, with Manuel): ”In the movie “Unplanned,” there is a scene where the remains of a fetus are disposed of as biological waste. It’s very powerful. Because we actually know that they are life. They could have been our friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, priests, religious people. They are lives waiting to bloom and change the world, and we thought of them as an inconvenience. We thought they were trash. ”
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Isabella: “I’m here for my family and what they went through, especially my mother, who had such a hard time having a child. She’s a strong woman. That’s not even an option. That’s why I’m here.”
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Elvira: “They love science until they prove that life begins at conception. If you find some cells on another planet, that’s considered life. But not in the womb.”
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Hernan (standing): “I used to be pro-abortion, so I know both sides. Being pro-abortion means making choices without consequences. My mother used to ask me, ‘Would you have an abortion?’ When I said I didn’t think so, she said, “So you’re pro-life.” “But I didn’t want to embarrass people or tell them what to do. That’s how the devil works. He deceives people and if you leave them alone, you’re a good person. It makes you think it is.”
Janet: “I’m eight months pregnant with my first child. I felt the baby inside me and thought, ‘Wow, there really is a human being inside me.'”
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Leticia: ”I am here to honor the memory of my daughter, whom I aborted on June 7, 1990. I feel like it’s a voice from within. A voice says, “Please don’t make that choice.” I regret it. ‘
“So many people have been traumatized by abortion.HmmThe only way you will survive is to support it until you are ready to ask for forgiveness, confess, and seek healing. ”
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Brianna (right): “We live in a world where people have become so desensitized that they don’t have to worry about the humanity of others. Everyone is for themselves.”
Rosa (left): “I was raised Catholic and raised with the belief that no matter what, it’s still a baby.”
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Elise (left, with Dominic): “was traveling missionary. An important part of my ministry is helping young women understand the sanctity of their lives and realize that their lives have value. Once they understand this, they will be able to believe in the sanctity of all life. ”
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Francesca: “I’m a convert. I’ve been a Catholic since 2018. I grew up Jewish. Being pro-life has always been important to me. I’m adopted. If my birth parents weren’t Christians , they would have.” “I had an abortion. I was raped at 14 and 16 and got pregnant both times. Abortion never crossed my mind. It was really important to me that I had them and loved them. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage. When I had pro-life friends, I tried to say, “Good thing I did,” but I say, ‘No, these are my children and I loved them.’
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Irvin: “When I argue with people, I make no bones about it. ‘You tell me how much murder you tolerate.'”
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“You can take pictures of us, but we’re not going to do the whole interview.”
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Matthew: “I’m a sacred music director. Lucis Misio, an organization located in San Secondo d’Asti, Diocese of San Bernardino. My role is to spread the love and renewal of Catholic sacred music. Chant and polyphony are often seen as kind of overbearing, but people really want this music.
Beauty leads people to goodness. The pro-life movement is often viewed as fundamentally anti-women’s rights and regressive. Sometimes people in a movement focus on what the movement is against. But it’s in the name. We are pro-life in all of its various stages. But abortion is the most important moral issue of our time, so fight it and fight other battles. ”
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Michelle (left, with daughter Evangeline): “I am an atheist and have been involved in the pro-life movement for 10 years. I grew up in a pro-choice household. When I was a pre-teen, my father talked about abortion as a necessary life procedure. Taught me: Gender Equality When I became pregnant at age 15, my worldview on abortion completely changed.
“My parents tried very hard to get me to have an abortion. [It was from] Unfortunately, they didn’t want anyone to know I was pregnant. They said, “This is a problem we can solve.” But I felt my child. She knew she had to protect her. I went online and found great organizations like Secular Pro-Life that discuss things from a secular perspective.
“My mother is against pro-life now. There are a lot of atheists who believe I’m secretly Christian or have been brainwashed. I face hostility all the time.”
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mat: “I work with women and men. [post-abortive] called a healing ministry. Rachel’s Vineyard. And it’s amazing to see what a difference a weekend retreat can make in the lives of those who encounter God’s mercy.people are speaking out [in favor of abortion] Mainly from life experience. They have felt hurt and blamed. You have to come from a place of compassion. ”
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Tim: “My wife and I talk to women who are seeking abortions and try to help them as much as possible to avoid having an abortion. Most people who choose to have an abortion do so because they want to save their baby. “Yes, but what will happen?” “Will you ever be a very grateful mother? For decades now, we have been there for our sons and daughters when they needed us.” There are women who keep saying thank you so much for being here.”
