Skip to main content

Crowd at Women’s March Trumps Inaugural; Pro-Lifers Rejected

Share This article

WASHINGTON - One day after crowds braved the rain for the historic inauguration of Donald J. Trump, an even larger crowd turned out to send him a message about equal rights.

Organizers for the Women’s March on Washington estimate more than 500,000 people attended the weekend event on the National Mall to defend the rights of women and minorities – and to promote diversity.

But one group says there were limits to the theme of inclusion.

Watch John Jessup's report on the diverse viewpoints at the Women's March on Washington and why pro-life groups were unwelcome.

When the event was first announced as a march against violence on women, the country’s largest pro-life youth organization offered to get involved but never heard back.

“I actually messaged the founder and said, ‘Hey, Students for Life would love to co-sponsor . [We] love all the things you stand for,’ recalled  Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life.

“They never responded. Two weeks later it was announced that Planned Parenthood, the abortion Goliath, was sponsoring this event. So they obviously took a pro-abortion stance,” she said.

Despite the snub, Students for Life was at the event to be a pro-life presence.

“I think it’s important for these women who are here today to understand that they’re in the minority – that the majority of Americans agree with us. That’s what we do as pro-life advocates. We go in where it’s unpopular and speak the truth in love.”

But among the throngs of pink-clad hats and pro-choice stickers and signs, Hawkins and her group were in the minority.

Reflecting a panoply of values, marchers represented different causes, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations.

Olivia Reingold, a fifteen-year-old from Chicago, flew into Washington with her mother carrying hand-made signs highlighting the pay gap between men and women.

“Women make seventy-nine cents to every dollar a man makes,” Reingold said. “Even Jennifer Lawrence, one of the best female actresses, she still gets paid less than her male co-stars, and I think one of the first steps to equal rights is getting equal pay.”

Vishavjit Singh traveled from Harlem, New York a day earlier, on Inauguration Day, with the goal of starting conversations with others who think and vote differently.

“I had my own assumptions that a lot of Trump supporters might not be too thrilled about me,” acknowledged Singh, a Sikh who travels the country dressed as Captain America. “But a few of them that I did talk to, they’re not that different than me.”

Singh told CBN News when people chose to continue their conversations even after he acknowledged he did not vote for Mr. Trump, it gave him hope.

The peaceful march kicked off with a festive celebrity-filled rally, including singers Madonna and Alicia Keys and actresses Scarlett Johannson, and America Ferrera.

Hundreds of other marches were held in other cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and London.

Hawkins believes her group also scored a win this weekend.

“By not allowing us to participate, the entire media narrative this week was ‘Women's march doesn't let pro-life women march,” she asserted. “So we were actually able to change the narrative.”

Share This article

About The Author

John Jessup headshot
John
Jessup

John Jessup serves as the main news anchor for CBN, based at the network's news bureau in Washington, D.C. He joined CBN News in September 2003, starting as a national correspondent and then covering the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. His work in broadcast news has earned him several awards in reporting, producing, and coordinating election coverage. While at CBN, John has reported from several places, including Moore, Oklahoma, after the historic EF5 tornado and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the height