2008 Woodie Awards
Kirkwood women rally in D.C. for pro-choice
Drew Lenze
Issue date: 4/29/04 Section: News
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KCC Democrats JoyAnn Keener, Lindsey Gunn, Krista Cousins and Megan Weddingfeld took a long bus ride to Washington D.C. to take part in the March for Women's Lives event as part of a group called Choice USA.
The march was organized by a number of prominent civil and women's rights groups. These included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Planned Parenthood.
Marchers gathered near the Washington Monument, where a number of prominent speakers including Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY warmed up the crowd. Cousins said this was the most memorable part of the day because Clinton's appearance was such a huge surprise.
The marchers progressed down Pennsylvania Avenue and eventually looped back to the Capitol Mall. According to online reports, a few pro-life protesters yelled at marchers, calling the event a "death march." A few of these protesters were arrested for demonstrating without a permit. Keener said one man was arrested for throwing eggs filled with paint at the marchers.
The marchers carried a number of unique signs. Gunn carried a sign saying "Pro-Family, Pro-Health, Pro-Choice." Keener reported seeing a sign saying, "77 percent of anti-abortion leaders are men, 100 percent of them will never have abortions."
The marchers also yelled pro-choice chants. Gunn said one was "Hey Bush, we know you. You're a sexist, a racist and a killer too." Other marchers pounded drums, shook homemade maracas and danced.
Back at the mall, prominent politicians and celebrities gave speeches, which were televised on C-Span. Sen. Barbara Boxer, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were among the politicians who spoke.
Whoopi Goldberg waved a clothes hanger representing abortion methods before the Roe v. Wade decision and shouted "Never Again!" to the crowd. Actress Ashley Judd led the crowd in a chant of "Keep your laws off my body!" Other celebrity speakers included Ted Turner and actresses Susan Sarandon and Amy Brenneman.
The Indigo Girls, Carole King and Ani DiFranco also performed for the crowd.
During her speech, actress Janeane Garofalo claimed the march attracted 1,150,000 participants. Online news sites report informal police estimates at between 500,000 and 800,000. Even the lower estimates indicate the rally may have been larger than a similar 1992 rally, making the march the largest pro-choice rally ever.
Because of the large number of participants, the pace of the march was very slow. The march to lasted a total of five hours and many were unable to see the various post-march speakers and performers.
Gunn said that participating in the march "was an incredible experience." She especially remembers passing a woman in a wheelchair who said to her, "thank you for marching for me today."
The Kirkwood marchers agreed that this was an important time for pro-choice and other liberal forces to come together and show solidarity before this November's presidential election. They said money for public funding of sex education has dwindled significantly during the Bush presidency.
The National Education Association's (NEA) participation in the march generated some controversy last week. Although the NEA was not one of the event's main sponsors, according to Fox News they did open their D.C. headquarters as a hospitality center for marchers. NEA member Connie Bancroft, who is also executive director of the pro-life group Teachers Saving Children, protested the NEA's involvement. According to LifeNews.com, Bancroft stated, "we're supposed to be for children, and they say it's OK to eliminate our very clientele."