March for Women's Lives, April 25, 2004, by Rachel Good
From MemoryArchive
Who: Rachel Good What: March for Women's Lives When: April 25, 2004 Where: Washington, D.C.
On Sunday, April 25, 2004, I join about a million other people on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the March for Women’s Lives. The march was dubbed a “pro-abortion” rally by anti-abortionists, but it was much more than a pro-choice rally. It was a pro-women, pro-health care gathering. I had decided to attend the rally when I first heard about it and on the morning of April 25th I went with a groups of friends (about half of them male).
The March for Women’s Lives was not the first rally, march, or protest that I had attended in Washington. Going to school at American University which is located in D.C. afforded me the opportunity to attend many rallys. However, when I came up out of the Smithsonian Metro station I was amazed by the crowd. I think there were more people at this march than any of the Anti-Iraq War protests.
Before the crowd actually started marching we listened to music from groups like the Indigo Girls and heard speeches from a wide rage of individuals including Whoopi Goldberg and Senator Hillary Clinton. I was very excited to start marching but I remember not having a sign to hold and frantically searching for one. I finally found one that I liked, it was a blue circle sign from the National Organization for Women (NOW) and it said “Keep Abortion Leagal.” With my sign in hand I was ready to march and chant all day long.
Once the crowd started going it turned into one of the best marches I had ever attended. The crowd was so enthusiastic and everyone was so friendly. There was also an element of comedy. When we went past the anti-abortion groups that lined the march path, the crowd whould cheer funny chants to counter their religious arguments. Some of the signs marchers’ signs were hilarious. One sign read “Keep Your Dick Out of My Bush,” in reference to the Bush/Cheney Administraton. Despite the strong presence of anti-abortion presence at the rally everyone kept upbeat and on message.
Attending the March for Women’s Lives was one of the best things I’ve done since being in D.C. I was so excited with how the march turned out. Tons of men and religious groups (specifically Catholics for a Free Choice) attended the event and I loved that diversity. After the march ended and I returned to American University’s campus, I was so proud to put my sign in my dorm room window. The next day I looked out my window and noticed that there were many, many other windows filled with signs similar to mine, it was a great sight.
