Politics

I Attended The Women’s March And The March For Life. Here Are The Real Differences

Benny Johnson Columnist, Viral Politics
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Last week, I attended the Women’s March and the March for Life.

This was my second year in a row observing the two movements up close and editing stories about their similarities and differences. As both movements grow and advance, it’s important to note their cultural and political impact. They are both similar and different in various ways. Both are a gathering of politically passionate men and women from around the country. Both are attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Both have passionate, famous speakers. However, they begin to diverge there.

The March for Life is in its 45th year and has a very specific goal: The overturning of Roe v. Wade. Above all else, the march believes abortion is wrong and should be done away with.

The main uniting force for the two-year-old Women’s March seems to be hatred of President Donald Trump. From there, the values and priorities of the pro-choice, feminist Women’s March are much more diverse. Their own mission statement is quite lengthy, over a thousand words long, and covers everything from “Environmental Justice” to “LGBTQIA Rights.”

Having attended both the marches two years running, here are the observable differences between the two:

The signs at the Women’s March:

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Presley Ann/Getty Images

Presley Ann/Getty Images

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The signs at the March For Life:

Alex Wong/Getty Images

EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images

The speakers at the Women’s March:

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images

Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images

The speakers at the March for Life:

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Young adults at the Women’s March:

Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images

Young adults at the March for Life:

EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images

Children at the Women’s March:

Presley Ann/Getty Images

JASON CONNOLLY/AFP/Getty Images

Children at the March for Life:

EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images

EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images

Men at the Women’s March:

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images

Presley Ann/Getty Images

Presley Ann/Getty Images

Men at the March for Life:

Alex Wong/Getty Images

The purpose of the Women’s March:

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

The purpose of the March for Life:

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Benny Johnson