Pro-life activists were present outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week, beginning with a rally on August 22 featuring nine speakers and a press conference. Following the rally, many of the pro-lifers spoke with DNC attendees and passers-by, challenging the pro-abortion narrative.
Representatives from Live Action, Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, Rainbow Pro-Life Alliance, Pro-Life Action League, Pro-Life Wisconsin, and Pro-Life San Francisco spoke at the rally along with other pro-life activists, and many also attended the protest outside the DNC. Overall, approximately 30-35 individuals attended the rally and protest combined.
Photo: Live Action
“There were definitely people that were not happy to see us,” a Live Action employee present at the rally and protest explained. “One man came up into my face and gave me the finger… and kept walking. Sometimes [people] would argue and get close in our faces, but police would step in and prevent violence. But there were definitely people who were arguing with us.”
Pro-life activists chanted, “Pro-choice is a lie, babies never choose to die,” and “Abortion is racist, abortion is oppression.” They also displayed some photos of the bodies of five babies found outside an abortion facility in Washington, D.C., in March 2022 (see below), and Live Action used a large digital box truck to display impactful imagery depicting life in the womb.
Protesting outside DNC – Photo: Live Action
The images helped to spark conversations with people entering the DNC but also angered many who would rather ignore the truth that induced abortion directly and intentionally kills living human beings. Some abortion advocates claimed the heartbreaking images of aborted babies were fake, or suggested they might be AI-generated.
Protesting outside DNC – Photo: Live Action
“We had some images of the DC Five, which I think was good because some people were surprised to see it, it seemed,’ said the Live Action employee. “Some people would laugh and make light of it, but others — you would kind of see them get somber and serious, taken aback. Some were doubtful. They would say things like, ‘Those images aren’t real, where’d you get that?'”
Baby Harriet found in medical waste bin outside DC abortion facility. Photo courtesy of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Baby Angel was found in a medical waste bin. Experts believe he was possibly exsanguinated and dismembered alive.
Baby Phoenix was found still in the amniotic sac in a medical waste bin outside a DC abortion business. Photo courtesy of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Baby Holly was dismembered by D&E abortion at a Washington D.C. abortion business. Photo courtesy of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Christopher was found in a medical waste box outside a DC abortion facility.
Some people rolled their eyes at the images, and some told the pro-lifers things like, “Shut up,” “You hate women,” and “Get a job.”
Another asked them, “Have you had an abortion? Then you can’t have an opinion” — an attempt to further reduce the number of people considered ‘qualified’ to speak about the issue of abortion from a pro-life perspective. However, countless women have suffered from abortion and now speak out against it, including women featured in Live Action’s Can’t Stay Silent project.
“There were a good number of people who would talk to us one-on-one, but mostly the conversations were just with local people riding their bikes past or walking by,” explained the Live Action employee. “There were some good conversations – they definitely wanted to talk about the issue for a while. One man asked about the three exceptions and wanted to know our arguments, and he said, ‘Wow, you really challenged me. I can see what you’re saying, and I never heard it put that way before.'”
Also near the DNC was Planned Parenthood, which sent a mobile van to promote access to abortion by giving away free abortion pills, vasectomies, and emergency contraception.
In a press release prior to the rally, Live Action president and founder Lila Rose said, “Murdering children as a brazen political spectacle is revolting to most Americans. Most Americans desire strong families, meaningful lives, and the opportunity to thrive—not the cold, heartless killing that Planned Parenthood is promoting.”
Rose added:
The newly approved Democratic Party platform promises ‘national legislation’ that would mandate abortions to be available throughout all stages of pregnancy in every state without limits. The new platform mentions abortion thirteen times and would eliminate every life-saving pro-life law in the nation. This platform is significantly more dangerous for preborn children than previous platforms.
Pro-life activists will make their message heard in Chicago that all people, especially our youngest children, deserve to live and are legally guaranteed equal protection under the law.
In addition to having a presence outside of the DNC, pro-life activists gathered outside of the Republican National Convention in July to protest the GOP’s decision to remove strong pro-life protections for preborn children from its platform.
