Culture Friday - Marching on

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Friday, January 21st, 2022.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Well, it’s Culture Friday. Time now to welcome John Stonestreet. He’s the president of the Colson Center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. Morning, John.

JOHN STONESTREET, GUEST: Good morning.

EICHER: Today is the 49th March for Life in Washington. Here’s the march organizer Jeannie Mancini on the expected turnout today. Audio here from EWTN television.

MANCINI: And we do anticipate things being quote unquote 'back to normal', but I would say maybe even bigger than normal because it's such a banner year for our issue and the grassroots are so motivated so we anticipate record turnout.

So there’s a special sense of anticipation that this may be the last March for Life with the Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision still in effect, what are your thoughts about that on this day?

STONESTREET: Well, a million things. Number one is I'm just grateful for all the people who show up year after year after year. And how important this event is. I'm grateful for the organizers. I'm grateful for what this thing has meant for so, so long, it has weathered an emotional roller coaster, since Roe v. Wade came into effect, I can think of just the very first march that I attended. And, you know, it was kind of a, you know, stiff upper lip or, you know, we're in this for the long run. And then, you know, it was coming near the end of the Obama administration, many people fully expecting that the Democrats were very likely going to hold the White House, that this was going to be instrumental in terms of the long term direction of the Supreme Court. I think there was a walloping snowstorm headed to Washington DC, three to two feet of snow, many people got stuck. And it just the, the emotion of that year was not was not good. It was it kind of seemed defeatist, not in a bad way. I mean, you know, people who show up for the March for Life aren't quitters. But it just seemed like, okay, we're recalibrating for the long haul. And then, of course, the last couple years, under President Trump, the emphasis on the March for Life has been completely different up until the virtual one last year. And here we are, not only with the Supreme Court wondering what they're going to do, but with a live case in their hand that could gut Roe v. Wade, and oral arguments from that Supreme Court, which seemed to indicate they were leaning in that direction. This could be the last March for Life with Roe v. Wade. It will not be the last March for Life. And that is because of a number of things, primarily because if Roe v Wade is handled by the Supreme Court, then the pro life movement becomes even more localized than it has been. It's a wonderful milestone to celebrate, if Roe v Wade is gutted or goes away. But it's not the end of the movement. It's the beginning or a new beginning of the movement and a new beginning for all of us that are really committed to seeing preborn life protected.

EICHER: John, I want to follow up on the notion that this is not going to be the last March for Life. Why is it so self-evident to you that there will be a March next year in DC if Roe vs. Wade is overturned because the March for Life is really kind of focused on the Supreme Court, it ends at the Supreme Court, they're there to protest Roe versus Wade? What would be the point if the issue’s all going to be atomized into different state capitals? Why should there be a March for Life in Washington?

STONESTREET: Well, I think because Roe v. Wade is a chapter in the defense of life and ending Roe v. Wade is a chapter but it's not, not the whole story. And at the very least, we should have a March for Life, if Roe is overturned, to have a big party at the Supreme Court, you know for it, and what a great time to do it. Maybe we should do that. But of course, we know that last weekend and I think next weekend, in cities and states, all across America, there will be local versions of that March for Life. And what we'll have if the Supreme Court goes in the direction that many of us think is states now either becoming radical in their abortion laws, or war prohibiting abortion, I mean, in other words, if you're not going to have much middle ground state by state by state, you're going to have you know, kind of the the abortion is healthcare. Great. Let's light the buildings up in pink and ‘high five’ each other law like the lawmakers in New York did. You're going to have California be a quote unquote sanctuary city, you're going to have abortion tourism from one state to the next, and certain places and then you're going to have the requirement in states like Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, that women who find themselves in unexpected or crisis pregnancies are going to need care and help. So our ability, our willingness to serve these people, is going to be absolutely essential. Otherwise, we're gonna lose the culture on the issue. And that's really been the storyline of the last several years is that in many ways, this isn't about a legal victory. It's about a cultural victory, resulting in a legal victory. And of course, I mean, look, abortion is going to go more and more unnoticed. Chemical abortion is already one of the primary ways that women get an abortion, it's something that is increasingly becoming unaccountable to any source whatsoever, any authority, any medical professional - that's going to be something that the pro life movement is going to have to address.

BROWN: John, I want to stay on this for a second, but look at it from another perspective. We’re still hearing from listeners, as well as WORLD Watch viewers who were just as inspired as we were on Monday—the King holiday—by the stories my aunt and uncle told about their fight for equality during the civil rights era.

This year’s March for Life theme is “equality begins in the womb.” Here’s March organizer, Jeannie Mancini again.

MANCINI: We want to expand this debate - this rigorous debate - about equality to include unborn children who are often overlooked because they cannot speak for themselves.

John, Mancini went on to point out that 3 out of 10 abortions are of black babies, when blacks make up about 12 percent of the population.

I’ve heard that statistic before, but do you think those numbers will make a difference this time around?

STONESTREET: Oh, yeah, I think they always have made a difference. I, I think that oftentimes the narrative is that all these progressive causes go together. And all these groups get along. I mean, we know that there's incredible conflict, for example, between the various groups represented by the letters of the ever-growing LGBTQIA acronym, particularly between the T’s and the L’s. I don't think when it comes to this sexual revolution, that entire population groups that are considered ethnic minorities are suddenly on board because they're grouped together by a political activist. There has been no greater example of white supremacy in American culture over the last 30 years than a primarily white, progressive sexual revolution ideology pushing abortion on a minority population. It goes back to the very early days of Planned Parenthood. It was inherent in how Margaret Sanger thought she could either eliminate or help the black population depending on which one of her writings you actually read of hers. And the narrative you hear from Planned Parenthood isn't always the narrative that matches history on that. There's been no greater threat to the African American population in America than abortion. The abortion movement was built on a racialized understanding of eugenics and that legacy hasn't gone anywhere. I'm not saying that every person who works for a Planned Parenthood is a racist, but there's no greater example of systemic racism in America than Planned Parenthood. And so these numbers have to continue to come out.

BROWN: John Stonestreet is president of the Colson Center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. Thanks, John.

STONESTREET: Thank you both.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.