Abortion Survivor: Attend the March for Life to Remember Babies Who Didn’t Survive

Opinion   |   Melissa Ohden   |   Jan 7, 2014   |   10:39AM   |   Washington, DC

With an estimated 650,000 people expected to participate in the March for Life later this month, it bears reflecting on why, exactly, we participate.  With the March for Life’s hashtag, #whywemarch, you can share via social media why you march.

Whether it’s in protest of the Roe vs. Wade decision, or in support of the defense of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, the reality is that many of us march because for us, the political is personal, and the personal is political.

This year, I will not be present at the March for Life, as I lend my support to a Pregnancy Center in Ohio at that time, but I will be there in spirit.  As you march, I’m sure you will be reflecting upon why you are there, just like I do when I am in the presence of hundreds of thousands of pro-life strong.  Although I won’t have the opportunity to reflect as I march this year, I am once again pondering the multitude of reasons why I march.  Which, in turn, are reasons why you may march, and I thought I’d take a moment to share my reflections.

Why I March:

–Because 56 million other children have not been as blessed as I was to miraculously survive an abortion, and they deserve a voice and to be remembered.

–Because hundreds of millions of men and women are not as blessed as my birth parents to know that their child lives, and they deserve to be healed.

–Because generations of families have been forever changed because of abortion, just as my biological family has been, and they deserve to be healed.

–Because no matter how the pro-abortion industry has tried to package it, abortion is not so much of a choice as it is a product of coercion and even force, and women like my birthmother who were forced to abort deserve to be heard, healed, know they are not alone, and that they are supported.

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–Because there are hundreds, if not thousands of abortion survivors who exist in the world, and whether they are open about their survival or not (most are not), marching sends a powerful message to them that they are recognized, supported, and they are not alone.

–Because my children, both born and currently developing in the womb, deserve to live, and the force that was taken to end my life, and afterwards, to leave me to die, had a dramatic impact on their lives, even though that was not a consideration thirty-six years ago.

–Because whether or not abortion ends in my lifetime, I will march, I will speak the truth in love, I will sacrifice my life for the greater good of all life, with the faith that abortion will, indeed, end someday, and we will then be marching in joyful remembrance of how far we’ve come.

Join the conversation on Twitter with @MarchforLife and #whywemarch.