Motorcycle groups elicit the leather-clad tough guy image many know from Sons of Anarchy, but less well-known is the history of charitable causes many chopper enthusiasts support. From Rolling Thunder to Trail of Tears Remembrance, the noisy ride garners a lot of attention for various causes. Now, pro-life bikers are getting together in New York to support women in their community and to stand for life for their preborn babies.
Organized in response to the expansive New York abortion bill that legalized abortion until birth, the Ride 2 Life aims at raising awareness of the help available to mothers in crisis situations, in which they feel they have no choice but to abort their preborn babies. These women are in need of support, kindness, and resources — so a group of like-minded motorcyclists banded together to show their support for the pro-life cause. They will mark this support with a ride to Albany, New York, on August 24th.
Pastor Jeff Giampa and a group of like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts felt that using their passion for bikes in service of charitable events “could be the first step in being active for a cause.” In an email to Live Action News, Giampa said that he hoped to unite like-minded individuals to support women experiencing unplanned pregnancies in a variety of ways. “Perhaps some will move toward becoming adoptive parents or foster families. Others might help a mother to get the prenatal care she needs, find a place to live, talk to her parents, or fill any other need that might arise.”
He said he hopes the event’s website will eventually become a vetted resource for those in need, and a way to equip the community to support those in need. “We want to dispel the idea that child-bearing somehow cripples or stunts a woman’s ability to compete in the world, be successful, or have value,” said Giampa.
READ: Thousands gather for Day of Mourning in protest of New York abortion law
Part of the importance of the event is the visibility of a group of motorcycles uniting for a cause. Participants will be coming from all over the state to ride through Albany on August 24th at noon.
“Perhaps the most important imagery, to us, is the group of motorcycles riding away from Albany,” said pastor Jeff Giampa, organizer of the event, to Live Action News. “[W]e are riding through Albany when the legislature is not even in session. There are no politics taking place. We are showing that we are done with political fighting and are taking our efforts, in love, back to our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. This isn’t about policy, it is about giving of ourselves to love those in need.”
The event is non-religious and apolitical, aimed at supporting women and ending any need for abortion. “Our goal is to liberate and empower mothers who feel that they have no other choice than to end the lives of their unborn children, and to empower their communities to help and to encourage them whether they choose motherhood or to give the gift of parenthood to a family seeking it,” the event website states.
Information on the route is available here.
Editor’s Note, 8/22/19: This article was updated with route information.
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