Thousands of pro-life activists turn out for annual Walk for Life in San Francisco
After the demise of Roe v. Wade, the fight against abortion became a rallying point for many conservative voters. Now, with the re-election of President Trump, thousands of pro-life activists turned out for the annual Walk for Life in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, despite organizers insisting it is not a political movement.
San Francisco's Walk for Life began in 2005. Now, 20 years later, Ken Zylker from Martinez remembers what it was like in the beginning.
"We used to walk down--what was it--Embarcadero," he said. "And it was pretty small then, maybe five thousand at the most. So, yeah, you felt a bit intimidated because there were a lot of protestors."
Boy, have things changed. Now the abortion opponents at the march measure in the tens of thousands, and only a small die-hard group of abortion rights activists show up to counter them.
"We are here once again to say you don't get to just waltz into our city and push your regressive values," said Kristina Lee, with Reproductive Justice SF. "You know, they're really fired up because Trump is returning to office and they are hoping to advance more anti-choice."
But waltzing into what was once the stronghold of reproductive rights is exactly what they've done in recent years. Still, Walk for Life co-founder Dolores Meehan said it was not meant to divide people politically.
"Ours is not a political movement," she said. "Nobody seems to believe us but it's true. We've never had a politician and we want to make sure...we would not want to impede, in any way, anybody who's apolitical from coming forward if they need help."
They may not have intended it, but abortion has definitely become a political battleground. Mr. Trump did not refer to it in his inaugural speech, but on Friday he rescinded a pair of Biden executive orders that expanded access and defined abortion as healthcare.
Since much of the opposition is faith-based, there is also a generous mixing of church and state. Sister Deirdre Byrne, a medical doctor turned nun, was a featured speaker at the pre-Walk rally, but she also addressed the GOP convention in 2020.
"President Trump will stand up against Biden/Harris who are the most anti-life ticket ever," she told the assembled Republicans.
But at Saturday's march, she said the issue of abortion was non-partisan.
"We have to speak the truth about how evil that is. This is a battle, not against...it's not a political battle between the Republicans and Democrats. It's between God and the devil," Byrne said.
It sure sounded political. But as someone who was being cast in the role of the devil, activist Kristina Lee admitted the abortion rights movement may have become a bit too institutionalized in its approach.
"You know, something that has been an issue on our side is the 'professionalization' of the movement," she said. "When the movement is your job, you might not be as fired up as when you're feeling like this is my life at stake. These are the lives of my family, my siblings at stake here."
Everyone, on both sides of the abortion debate, seems to feel that lives are at stake. That's why few people are willing to compromise, which is another thing that the movement has in common with American politics right now.
