Thousands march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women’s March in Washington, DC, U.S., January 21, 2017. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)

In response to What Is the Point of the ‘Women’s March’?

Maddy Kearns makes some excellent points in her Corner post this morning, noting that the annual Women’s March has substantially decreased in size and focus since its first iteration in 2017, which took place immediately after the inauguration of Donald Trump. (Though as NPR helpfully details in its coverage of the event, the crowd at this year’s much smaller march remained “passionate.”) In her post, Maddy asks, “What is the point of ‘Women’s March’?” I’d humbly submit one possible answer: abortion.


Of course, the Women’s March is ostensibly about lots of things, even if they don’t make much sense to a viewer unschooled in the intricate belief system that is intersectionality. The group’s “unity principles” are a true hodgepodge, an unrealistic wish list cobbled together in an attempt to unite unrelated factions of the social-justice Left. It isn’t a movement for women; it’s simply one more vehicle for progressive identity politics posing as a coherent agenda.

But if there’s one issue on which these women agree — in addition to their collective resentment and hatred of the man in the Oval Office — it is what they refer to as “reproductive rights.” Until the page was inexplicably removed, the Women’s March 2020 “sponsors” page featured very few major national groups, likely a casualty of the anti-Semitism allowed to fester among the group’s leaders. The most powerful and recognizable sponsor remaining this year? Planned Parenthood.


In 2017, the leaders of the Women’s March made their preeminent focus on abortion abundantly clear. Though their first annual “March on Washington” amassed hundreds of apparently unrelated sponsors, enthusiastically encouraged to join the motley entourage no matter their issue of focus, only one sponsor was unceremoniously removed from the list: New Wave Feminists. The group’s transgression? Opposing abortion out of a belief that it is violence harmful to women.

The Women’s March will tolerate all kinds of diversity and dissent; in fact, both diversity and dissent purportedly are its mission. Want to protest a lack of action on climate change? Go for it. Outraged about Donald Trump’s latent transphobia? Join us. A fan of Black Lives Matter who happens to be anti-Semitic? Consider applying to join the Women’s March leadership coalition, you’ll fit right in.

But if you’re a pro-life feminist, you’d better just stay home.