Last week, the Women’s March gripped the nation with its messages of equality for women and a better nation. Over 500,000 people demanded their voices be heard in wake of a new administration. I respect their right to march. In fact, I feel incredibly blessed that we live in a nation where protests are allowed and even encouraged.

I also respect that the marchers wanted the new President to hear them. I feel strongly that now more than ever, the public must hold the president accountable for everything that he does. The Women’s March performed a duty as citizens of the United States.

However, there were aspects of the Women’s March that I cannot stand behind. For one, I was deeply saddened and upset by the hate-spewed messages given by celebrities, but this was not what upset me most.

They were not inclusive to pro-life groups and pro-life feminists. They claimed to speak for all, but vast numbers of people, statistically the majority, were not represented.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, a national group of anti-abortion activists on college campuses, stated that her group was one of many that were told they could not cosponsor the event; however, a few of the group’s activists attended anyway.

Ever since 1976 with the passing of Roe v. Wade, there has been a protest that doesn’t stand for strictly women’s rights, it stands for all human rights. The March for Life has seen thousands of people every year gather to stand for the rights of the unborn.

Days before the 2017 March for Life, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 238 to 183 to permanently ban taxpayer funding of abortion. This was an incredible event, but it’s not as shocking as it may seem. However, what lies behind the decision is shocking.

What I mean by it not being particularly jarring is that it makes permanent the so-called Hyde Amendment. So far, the amendment, which prohibits federal money from being used to fund abortions through Medicaid, has been subject to annual renewal. It simply makes permanent what is already renewed annually by Congress. It also allows for transparency on abortion coverage in health care plans.

I feel that what lies behind this decision has been hidden from or brushed away by the public. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), 1,036 of Obamacare plans sold in 2014 included abortion on demand. Other Obamacare plans lack transparency on their abortion funding.

Amidst numbers like health care plans and the number of participants in marches is a number that is truly atrocious, one that brought tears to my eyes. A number that gets lost in the statistics the media paints to their bias. 58 million.

According to March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, that is the number of Americans we have lost to abortion since 1973. 58 million.

What is an interesting aspect of the March for Life that needs to be clear is the demands Mancini has for Trump and Congress. According to the Washington Post, they are the following:

• Appoint an anti-abortion Justice to the Supreme Court
• Make the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for many abortions in the United States, into a permanent law rather than the one-year provision that has been extended each year from 1976 to the present.
• Pass a law banning abortion nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
• Stop all federal funding for Planned Parenthood unless the organization were to somehow stop performing abortions.

One of those has already been met by the House, however, what has been so clearly in the news has yet to be fully addressed: Planned Parenthood.

It is almost a preconceived notion that if Planned Parenthood were to be defunded, there would be an absolute health crisis for women because the services they provide would not be available. This is completely not true. There are over 4,000 pregnancy resource centers located nationwide that serve as an option for a woman in crisis. All of the services they provide are free and confidential. They can be reached by texting: “HELPLINE” to 313131. Where has this information been? You have options. There IS access to vital exams for women that are not given by Planned Parenthood.

What Live Action found is that Planned Parenthood does not offer valuable services to women who want to keep their babies, even though they say they offer pre-natal care. I encourage you to check out this video.

If abortion is about “women’s rights” then what are the rights of the unborn? If the baby is deemed to have physical deformities or conditions, it is encouraged to be terminated. But who gets to determine the quality of life for that unborn child? Who’s to say they won’t grow up to be incredible?

I want to thank all of those who participated boldly in the March for Life. Thank you for representing all lives, especially those of the most innocent and helpless.