Women's March removes Pro-life feminist group from list of partners

Jardine Malado Wednesday, January 18, 2017

A pro-life group is symbolically gagged during a vigil in front of the Supreme Court in Washington DC. | Wikimedia Commons/Ben Schumin

A feminist group has been removed from the list of partners that will participate in the Women's March in Washington on Jan. 21 because of its pro-life stance.

The group called New Wave Feminists were granted partnership status with the Women's March last Friday, but it was removed on Monday afternoon, according to Life Site News.

"The Women's March platform is pro-choice and that has been our stance from day one. We want to assure all of our partners, as well as participants, that we are pro-choice as clearly stated in our Unity Principles," the statement from the organizers read, as reported by the Washington Times.

"We look forward to marching on behalf of individuals who share the view that women deserve the right to make their own reproductive decisions. The anti-choice organization in question is not a partner of the Women's March on Washington. We apologize for this error," it continued.

Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, president of New Wave Feminists, speculated that the group was removed because of the negative backlash after an article in The Atlantic mentioned that it will be participating in the march.

The article noted that several pro-life groups, including the New Wave Feminists, intend to participate in the rally.

Before the removal of the partnership status of New Wave Feminists, Bob Bland, co-chair of the Women's March, told The Atlantic that women of all beliefs and backgrounds were welcome, particularly those who have been marginalized or silenced.

Sponsors of the march include several pro-choice groups such as Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation, Catholics for Choice, National Abortion Federation, the Center for Reproductive Rights and National Institute for Reproductive Health.

Bland said that including Planned Parenthood as a partner was "a no-brainer" because of their support for the Affordable Care Act.

Herndon-De La Rosa said that the group will still take part in the march despite the removal of its partnership status. Other pro-life groups intend to go to the rally to show images of women and pre-born children killed via abortion to the participants.