Some 465 Iowans are in the nation’s capital city today for the annual March for Life. The president of “Iowans for Life”, Ann McAlister, says the march is held to protest the United States Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wade and to remember the victims of abortion. McAlister says Iowa has a prestigious place in this 33rd march. She says they’ve been honored to be asked by Nelly Gray, the founder and president of the March for Life Educational Fund, to lead the march. McAlister says “Our kids are pumped. It’s an honor, but yet it’s very humbling at the same time.” McAlister says she feels and excitement among pro-life supporters as this march approaches. She says, “I think that most polls show that a majority of polls show that Americans are pro-life. The more you see things on the opposite end with partial-birth abortion and now fetal stemcell research and things like this coming to the fore, people are realizing they need to start speaking up.” Some say the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court along with new Chief Justice John Roberts might shift the court toward overturning Roe vs. Wade. McAlister has a more cautious approach. McAlister says, “Well, I listen to what all the pundits say on both sides about the Supreme Court nominees. But I know, that you never know what they’re like until they get on the bench and start making rulings. And even then, that isn’t truly sometimes a clear indication of how they run. I don’t put my hopes in Supreme Court justices, per say.” McAlister says the best approach is to change people’s hearts and minds on taking the life of the unborn. She says, “Truly that is the key. You have to educate people, to exactly what abortion is. It isn’t just a word and it isn’t just a choice. And once they’re educated on that, it doesn’t take much to change their minds and change their hearts, and convict them to the pro-life cause” McAlister says this is the largest group of marchers that Iowans for LIFE has ever sponsored.While members of pro-life groups are marching in Washington, D.C. today to protest the 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion — the state’s largest abortion provider is taking a low-key approach. Kathy Dinicola is the spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. She says, “We’ve been activating grassroots supporters on issues such as pharmacists refusal of birth control, the gubernatorial race, the Supreme Court and the Alito nomination. We have not done visibility events, but a significant amount of work to engage the public, and ensure private medical decisions remain between a woman, her doctor and her family.” Dinicola says they feel it’s important to keep educating the people who support their cause. Dinicola says, “We’re certainly buckling down and engaging our activists and supporters and getting the word out regarding the threats to a women’s personal right to make her own medical decisions without government involvement. So, we are activated, we are ready, and we realize what threats are out there.” Dinicola says one of the biggest threats they see is the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. She says Alito is “an absolute threat to women’s rights”. Dinicola says you can see from Alito’s rulings where he stands on abortion and that’s why they’re opposing him. While the president of “Iowans for Life” says most polls show a majority of Americans are pro-life, Dinicola disagrees. he says, “If you look at any, any of the major polls, you’ll see that a majority of Americans are in favor of a women’s right to make her own medical decisions free of government involvement.” Dinicola says,”There’s a lot of manipulation of data that goes on, but if you look at any of the current polls, including C-N-N, C-B-S. The last C-B-S poll that came out said that 60-percent, over 60-percent of Americans are in favor of Roe v. Wade, so I don’t know where their figures are coming from.” Dinicola is keeping a low profile during the Roe v. Wade anniversary, because they’re doing things all the time. She says, “We do more in one day to prevent abortion than these so-called pro-life groups do in their entire existence. Through contraception, through education, through care of women. So, that’s what we do every day.” Dinicola says they’ll continue their grassroots effort to educate people about the “threat to women’s rights.”
