WHAT. A. WEEKEND.
It's not often that we, the austere and stiff upper-lipped British folk, get overly excited by things (it wouldn’t be seemly). But my goodness, this weekend we saw a whole different side to the polite little people of the shires. What are we talking about, you might be wondering?
Only….THE MARCH FOR LIFE UK 2022!!!
What an awesome day. The weather was fine, spirits were high and the resulting vibe was electric. Overall, a great day to be out in London standing up for the unborn.
For Abortion Resistance, the day began early, with the setting up of the our stall in the expo hall, amongst all the other major UK pro-life organisations. We don’t want to sound arrogant or appear biased, BUT….ours was the best... :p
I mean, look at it!
See! Amazing. We gave out two different leaflets; one explained who we are and what we do, and the other outlined why women have abortions and gave a list of alternative choices. We had bowls of sweets, badges and key-rings that kept everyone coming back for more. We even had our AR themed backdrop for people to take pictures against.
Most importantly, we had a sign up sheet. And by the end of the morning, that sheet was FILLED with the names of future AR-my members. Look out world. Our 5 month old, baby organisation is growing.
Here are some pics of our group actively growing!
While most of us spent the morning manning the stall and chatting with interested pro-lifers, our awesome Director of Events Christina, was MC-ing the talks that were being held in an adjoining auditorium.
Doesn’t she look great? A natural on stage.
The morning and early afternoon were spent listening to talks and connecting with people until finally, the moment arrived. The moment when we were called out onto the streets to join the throngs of people already assembled and ready to begin the march.
Abortion Resistance brought up the rear and, with help of American friends, spent the entire march chanting, waving signs and generally swallowing our British reserve.
The reception was obviously mixed as we went along. We saw plenty of disapproving looks and were shouted at a lot (standard fare if you are used to anti-abortion activism!), but equally, there were loads of people we passed by who were smiling and clapping in encouragement.
Eventually we made our way into Parliament Square, where we were met with some opposition. A group of counter protesters had set themselves up beneath the statue of Millicent Fawcett, the suffragette. There they stood, a crazy looking bunch brimming with anger.
Abortion Resistance lined up before them chanting, “Pro-choice? That’s a LIE. Babies never choose to die!” and there was a bit of head-to-head as each side tried to get their point across until eventually it was time for the speeches in the square to begin. They consisted of pro-life leaders spurring us on in our shared mission, as well as a testimony from a woman who, heartbreakingly, had had a coerced abortion. With any luck, the pro-aborts in the corner heard the testimony and maybe actually thought about what it is they are advocating for and enabling.
After the speeches had ended and the crowds had dispersed, we and many other young pro-lifers made our way to a hotel bar where we stayed for the rest of the evening, chatting over drinks and reveling in the success of the day.
The March for Life was amazing. It really was a testament to the UK’s passion on the issue of abortion. We will not be abated. We will not be silenced. We will not stand for a society that conflates flourishing with death. We hope to see you at the next march and at our next Abortion Resistance event.
XOXO
The Abortion Resistance Founders