[The following is part of a series on bringing the Consistent Life Ethic to various political conventions. Click to see Day 1 & Day 3] *I will not reference Rihanna. I will not reference Rihanna. I will not reference Rihanna...*
We're off to a good start.
Day two of our RNC shenanigans began at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. We marched up to the coliseum past the NARAL team who shouted after us that we were "unicorns" and that a "pro-life feminist" isn't a real thing. We were
feeling like true revolutionaries, chests adorned with counter-cultural statements (see: "Politics Kills" and "This is what a pro-life feminist looks like" t-shirts) and pockets and purses overflowing with our hastily-made "Marital rape is still rape" cards. In all honesty, we weren't as sneaky as we felt — it's a bit hard to be covert when you're the only neon-haired girl gang at the Phyllis Schlafly event.
Phyllis Schlafly's "Life of the Party" luncheon was pretty much what I expected. Lots of prayer, lots of miniature American flags — even some football talk, thanks to a speech from Lou Holtz. As a Bible-Belt southerner, I felt right at home amongst the pro-life-emblazoned football-shaped stress balls. All of the attendees we met were cordial to us; there was lots of small talk and a surprisingly small amount of questioning about the hair. We did get a nice shoutout during one of the speeches ("I saw a group of young people there in the back! Have you guys gone to the March for Life?"). Overall, we had a pleasant time chowing down on some delicious food and discreetly peppering our anti-violence messages around the venue. It was nice.
But despite all the niceness surrounding me at the event, something kept nagging: Where is the zeal? Where is the consistency? Where is the honest love for human beings and human rights? As pro-lifers, patting ourselves on the back for the progress we've made is all good and well, but now is not the time to get complacent. There are already enough Phyllis Schlafly-style pro-lifers out there who claim to value human life while having a questionable commitment to nonviolence (see: Schlafly's comments on marital rape that inspired us to make those cards we left everywhere). We shouldn't lazily fall in line behind one party or candidate because they happen to wear the title "pro-life."
But but, Trump says he's pro-life and he says that he'll win and he says that he'll appoint pro-life justices and he says and he says and he says..!
I think you see where I'm going with this. Rather than being satisfied with a lot of talk, let's make pro-lifers work again to prove that we truly value all human life. We've got enough of a branding problem as it is; when it comes to using the "pro-life" title, we've got to grind till we own it.*
After the Life of the Party event, we decided to support pro-life, pro-work efforts in another arena by dining at Edwin's. In their own words, Edwin's is "a unique approach at giving formerly-incarcerated adults a foundation in the hospitality industry while providing a support network necessary for a successful reentry." The service was fantastic, the food was both fancy and scrumptious (I tried crème brûlée for the first time ever!), and it was an all-around jolly ol' time. 10/10 would recommend if you enjoy things that are good.
After Edwin’s, we went home and prepared our signs for Day 3.
Here is where I pass the torch to Chrissy...
*To be fair, I only said I'd avoid referencing Rihanna. Beyonce references are totally fair game!
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