BIG TURNOUT – Around 150 turned out for the first anniversary or ‘birthday party’ of the overturning of Roe V. Wade which had for decades been considered a federal approval of constitutional protections for abortion.
Numerous pro-life-themed and supporting organizations gathered at the Statehouse on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Vermont Right to Life was there, 40 Days for Life, Parents Rights in Education, Turning Point USE, Aspire Now, and more were in attendance with booths. Around 150 to 175 people attended.
Savannah Craven from Turning Point USA
Savannah Craven from New York City who is a youth-focused pro-life advocate for Turning Point USA continues to be one of the most sought-after public speakers when it comes to the cause. She was in Vermont in January of 2022 and she was back at the Statehouse again to speak.
REPRESENTING THE YOUTH: Savannah Craven who traveled up from New York City to speak about youth and pro-life activism is working for Turning Point USA.
She shared how she went from speaking out on these issues online to getting out and engaging more directly with the community.
“Being actively pro-life means having conversations, going out on the sidewalk, advocating for pro-life laws at your Statehouse,” Craven said. “And holding our leaders accountable. You know it’s one thing for people to run and say ‘yea I’m pro-life and I’m going to fight for pro-life laws’ but once we elect them, actually holding them accountable and making sure that they are doing what we actually elected them to do.”
Speaking out in a pro-abortion community?
After her speech, Craven spoke more with True North. She suggested that people need to be brave and engage more in their communities.
“They don’t get out and I think that’s because we have a lot of suppression from the bias in the media like on Instagram they only want to share certain opinions that align with their values, but I think that we had an amazing turnout today and it’s great to see so many people here but anybody that is scared to sort of get involved and start speaking out in their community if you are not going to do it then who’s going to do it?
She added, “You know how many people are saying that? That somebody else is going to do it? And when you start you know speaking out and making a difference in your community, it’s not just that you are standing up for what’s right but you will also be met with so many different friends and contacts and it will honestly just change your life.”
Familiar current and former lawmakers attend
Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield, attended. She spoke on the microphone to the crowd in a speech, including she issued a reminder that there is more work for pro-life causes especially at the state level where governments such as Vermont have had additional legislation to protect abortion over the past year.
“So Dobb’s [The SCOTUS case Dobbs v. Jackson] pulled us back to pre-Roe. That’s worth celebrating, but it only brought us back to pre-Roe. It has not solved anything from where the debate started in 1973.
“We’ve been on the defensive since Roe pushing back, now we have to begin the fight to move forward and we have not yet begun to fight.”
A former lawmaker to attend was Vicki Strong, she had been an outspoken critic of the numerous pro-abortion legislation to come out of Montpelier.
“Mary literally because of you I was able to stand on the House floor and call them out on their hypocrisy, to say hey guys you want to take care of kitties, puppies, chickens, wildlife, wetlands, you name it, we can’t sell ivory in Vermont, but not one single thing could ever pass to protect the unborn.”
40 Days for Life’s John Averill
The head of 40 Days for Life’s Burlington area chapter is John Averill and he was at a booth talking about their efforts.
He spoke positively of the role of pregnancy support centers such as Aspire Now, which was also present with a van featuring ultrasound equipment inside.
“Choose Aspire Now, it has free scanning, prenatal care, and other activities to help along in the pregnancy, so you do have a choice,” Averill said.
Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.
