What do you think that the liberal and the pro-choice movement broadly gets wrong
about people like yourself?
I think they think we are closed-minded, that we don't know that the issue isn't black and white
and that we still are here, 47 years later,
to fight for kids and babies and mothers, mothers who think this is their only choice and it's hard.
We're here at the March for Life in Washington DC
with tens of thousands of protesters.
This is the nation's largest anti-abortion protest
and today we are going to go talk to some people about what their views are on abortion
and what their vision is for the future of America.
Tell me about what the message is that you are sending when you come to March for Life.
I guess the message I am trying to send is that the killing is wrong.
That's how I see it, it's a life and you are ending it and, no, I don't think abortion should be legal
just because of that simple fact, because every other form of murder is illegal.
Would you have Roe v Wade overturned? Would you make abortion illegal?
What do you think your vision is for the future if you could have it?
So my vision for the future it's obviously to eliminate all abortions.
I understand that in like some cases, like where the mother's life is in danger, some people may want that
but I say, like, abortion, it should be completely illegal.
Should Roe v Wade be overturned?
No, I don't think that should be overturned, I do think that would be going too far.
I think there's some cases, like raping, incest and other things where women have to be protected.
Do you believe that abortion should remain legal in the United States?
So I believe that, you know, abortion is a reflection that we haven't met the needs of women in society
and I do believe that women deserve better than abortion.
I try and stay away from that and just really focus on the resources and the support and, you know,
getting behind this new message of listen, women deserve better than abortion,
what can we do to make it unthinkable and what can we do so that women are not,
do not feel like that needs to be the answer to it.
And in your ideal world would abortion be legal? No. It would be completely illegal. Right.
What if there was a woman who felt like she needed an abortion? No, it's still not ... it's not.
No, that's still killing. It's not, no, I don't, I ...
There's other ways, they have to find another outlet, some other way there.
Tell me what progressives get wrong about the pro-life movement.
Well, for one, they put everybody sort of in the same bucket and they think we're all anti-abortion.
Feminists for Life, for instance, is a great exception to that. We're pro-woman, we're pro-life,
we try to bring people together.
And tell me about the issues outside of abortion that maybe you feel there's some common ground
between the pro-choice and the anti-abortion movement.
I think for example of maternity leave, paid maternity leave, should that be a federal policy?
Oh, absolutely, I fully agree with that.
Tell me about some of the issues surrounding abortion like, should same-sex marriage be legal?
I believe so, yeah. That's something I believe in.
It sounds like you actually share some common ground with the pro-choice movement
and yet you are here today.
I do, I've been ... I'm a conservative but I understand the point of both views.
I mean, I mean ... the necessity to protect an unborn child but at the same time you have to protect
the interests of women who get raped and have incest.
I wonder if you have heard any policies or proposals by progressive candidates that have made you think,
yeah I could get on board with that.
And I think, you know, I sort of mentioned a couple of them, maternity leave for maybe, higher minimum wage
for people so they feel secure. Yeah, but I, my vote will always be for the one who is there to protect life
ultimately, that's why.
I think when we come to an event like the March for Life with tens of thousands of people
and really speak to the people here about what they think the misconceptions are about themselves,
we learn that there's all these issues on the outside of abortion that people could actually get together on,
that the pro-choice and the anti-abortion movement agree about, but often those issues are eclipsed
by their number one voting issue and that issue is abortion.
That makes it more difficult for people in the pro-choice and the anti-abortion movement, to find common ground
even though it might exist.