An anti-abortion rights group held a rally Monday at the state Capitol, one day after the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that allowed abortion.
It also came two days after the Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, one of hundreds of demonstrations around the world that protested the perceived threats those could face under President Donald Trump’s new administration, which drew more than 60,000 people, according to police estimates.
A few hundred people attended the rally Monday, organized by Georgia Right to Life, to listen to speakers and gather for a silent march. Among those in attendance were state Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen; state Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone; and state Rep. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth.
“There’s a recognition that every year the Legislature sits on the sideline in putting fair, just and reasonable protections in place for the unborn, and we lose thousands of innocent lives,” Setzler said. “I think this year there will be a lot more legislators involved.”
Jason Benham, a speaker who, along with his brother, starred in the former HGTV reality show “Flip It Forward,” attempted to unify the mission by insisting “abortion is not a political issue; it’s a Gospel issue.”
But former Congressman Paul Broun, in his prayer before the crowd, invoked politics.
“Lord, I thank you for a president that is pro-life,” Broun said. “Lord, we have an opportunity in Washington, D.C., to pass a bill that will be a sanctity of human life act, that will declare life beginning at fertilization.”
Trump signed an executive order Monday that limits U.S. funding for international health organizations that offer or advise on family planning and reproductive health options if they include abortion.
For Katherine Clevenger, who participated in both the March for Life and the March for Social Justice and Women, abortion is precisely political.
Like many anti-abortion feminists, Clevenger said abortion is a symptom of bigger problems that need to be addressed, such as poverty, health care and paid family leave.
Still, she echoed the sentiment of most by focusing on human life at conception.
“I don’t like the idea of abortions. I understand why people want to get abortions. I understand why it is so problematic when people cannot get safe abortions,” Clevenger said. “But at the end of the day, I still believe it is a life in the womb, and there is so much potential for that life, regardless of how it is made.”
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