Fighting, Marching for Life
January 25, 2010 • By Katie King,
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WASHINGTON, — Sophomore Matt DiMarco is glad that he is alive today.
The Campus Catholic Ministry member joined hundreds of thousands of people marching in Washington, D.C., on Friday to celebrate the right to life.
“I was adopted, and one of the reasons I started going to this was to thank my birth parents,” DiMarco said. “They chose adoption over abortion, and I’m grateful.”
Two buses of JMU students joined the 37th annual March for Life to demonstrate their opposition to abortion. Held on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling on Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, the protest is one of the most highly attended annual marches in D.C.
While most of the JMU students who participated were members of Dukes for Life or the Catholic Campus Ministry, Dukes for Life President Anna Fronzaglia welcomed anyone to attend.
“Abortion is not an issue that has to be associated with a certain religion or a certain political party,” Fronzaglia said. “It’s a global humanity issue.”
During the ride to D.C., some students shared their reasons for participating in the march. Fronzaglia’s belief that life begins at conception motivates her to take action.
“Some people want to say it’s just a blob of tissue, but a blob of tissue doesn’t have its own DNA or its own heartbeat,” Fronzaglia said. “A baby gets a heartbeat at around 22 days, and it has its own DNA from the moment it’s conceived.”
However, JMU alumna Elizabeth Hogan, president of the JMU and Harrisonburg chapter of the National Organization for Women, disagrees with Fronzaglia.
“An abortion is no more physically or psychologically traumatic than any other legal medical procedure,” Hogan said. “Some women may feel regret after an abortion, but a lot of women just feel relieved. All women are not going to feel the same way about it, you can’t generalize like that.”
Freshman Caitrin Rhoads, a Dukes for Life member and weekly volunteer at the Harrisonburg Pregnancy Center, believes women shouldn’t have to resort to abortion.
“I don’t think women want abortions,” Rhoads said. “I think most are pressured into it, or they’re just scared and they panic. It would be so difficult to be in that situation, I think pregnant women need support, not abortion.”
Rhoads encourages any woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy to visit the Pregnancy Center, which provides free and confidential pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.
After arriving in D.C., the group headed to the rally on the National Mall. Several senators and religious leaders spoke, including Ohio Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, who said the march would take place to remind the country that “the Constitution says we all have the right to life.”
The crowd then marched to the Supreme Court, where they gathered for the remainder of the day. Some protesters chanted “Hey! Ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!”, while others reflected quietly by the courthouse steps. Toward the end of the event, speeches were given by members of Silent No More, an organization of women who regret their abortions and publicly share their personal experiences. Fronzaglia believes this type of regret is common, and often leads to depression, painful flashbacks or suicidal thoughts.
“Google abortion images. It’s a horrific procedure that poisons, rips or crushes a baby,” Fronzaglia said. “It’s physically and psychologically traumatic.”
Though NOW and Dukes for Life have little in common both groups share the belief that the media inaccurately represents the issue.
“There’s a stereotype that all pro-lifers are self-righteous and judgmental on women,” Fronzaglia said. “That’s not who we are.”
Contact Katie King at king2ka@jmu.edu
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Best of the 'Burg Supplement
April 29, 2010 Issue in Print
Right on with this story. But I think americans must really study the topic before any progress on abortion will be made. I saw this article that basically claims with good amount of proof, that the government views a fetus as an individual, check it out it will challenge your principles concerning faith and the law, as a pro lifer its worth the read
http://keironjackman.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/abortion-religion-politics/