Pro-life and pro-choice protesters clashed at the Bloomington courthouse square Sunday afternoon after an inauguration weekend filled with pro-women, anti-Trump protests.
About 100 anti-abortion proponents gathered on the square at 2 p.m. for a rally planned by the Bloomington group Christian Citizens for Life.
While pro-life supporters gathered near the courthouse to listen to a priest lead in prayer and a doctor talk about the sinful and wrong nature of abortion, supporters of a woman’s right to choose began to congregate on the edge of the square and held signs high.
“You don’t care about us or our babies before or after,” one sign read.
“Stand with Planned Parenthood,” another read.
“You do uterus,” said a third.
The pro-life rally coordinator, Scott Tibbs, said every year near the anniversary of Roe. v Wade — the landmark Supreme Court case that established a woman’s right to abortion — the group has a “Sanctity of Life Sunday.” This year, the rally happened to fall on the exact anniversary of the court case.
It also happened to fall the day after the nation was swept by mass protest in the form of the women’s marches, where women and men in cities all across the country rallied against President Trump and specifically his policies that jeopardize female rights. Numbers are still unknown, but some reports have said the total number of protesters across the United States was in the millions, and a recent New York Times article said the march in Washington had three times more people than Trump’s inauguration.
The significance of CCFL’s anti-abortion protest in light of the women’s marches was not lost on many attendees. Some pro-lifers, such as recent IU grad Emily Mansfield, were offended when organizers of the Women’s March on Washington removed New Wave Feminists, a pro-life group, from its list of partners on its website.
“I’m honestly very grieved that women believe a pro-abortion stance is a pro-women stance,” Mansfield said. “I just want to witness to the fact that life and love — those are the true values that’ll help women.”
Mansfield, part of IU Students for Life, said pro-abortion guidelines of the feminist agenda exclude a great number of women that want their fellow women to have safer, healthier lives.
Megan Simmons, an IU grad student and holder of the “You do uterus” sign, said given the current political climate, where women’s reproductive rights are in jeopardy, the choice to exclude pro-life protesters officially from the march was the right one. Simmons said she attended the Women’s March in Indianapolis yesterday.
“I feel like there is a time and a place for everything,” said Simmons, who was also sporting a “Kittens for abortion funds” pin. “I unapologetically support the rally, the Women’s March, being pro-choice.”
Pro-life protesters were quiet after the speakers finished, and they began their march down Walnut Street, across Second Street, past the Bloomington Planned Parenthood and up College Avenue back to the Courthouse. Talk of President Trump filled some marchers’ conversations.
“We didn’t have all the counter-protesters last year,” a man said as he was walking down Walnut.
“I feel like it has a lot to do with Trump and the women’s marches,” a woman answered him.
The marchers included women, men and children, many of whom were holding up signs. Some were shaped like stop signs and said “Stop Abortion Now.” Others read, “Lord forgive us and our nation.”
Another pair of men discussed the electoral college and Trump’s election as they walked. Some cars honked as the protesters filed by, and a group of kids discussed amongst themselves whether honking was a sign of support or a sign of dissent.
When the group reached the Courthouse again, pro-choice sign-holders were still there on the edge of the square. More onlookers seemed to notice the conflict now, shouting out of their windows or slamming on their horns as they drove past.
The protesting remained calm, but there were bits of terse conversation exchanged between those whose ideologies conflicted.
“My body, my rights,” a girl yelled from across the street.
“Your body,” someone responded.
“You do uterus," another said.
“What about the baby’s body?” a pro-life protester shouted.
A few minutes later, the my-body-my-rights girl was back. This time she was on the sidewalk right next to the protesters.
“Hey, guys, this is my body,” she said. “So you can go ahead and keep your politics off my body.”
