When NARAL Pro-Choice America and its supporters meet in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4 to “celebrate” 41 years of legal abortion, the women of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign will be there to remind them that women regret having abortions.
For the ninth consecutive year, Nancy Tanner, regional coordinator for Northern Virginia, and other women from the campaign will hold their iconic signs that say, “I Regret My Abortion,” both before and after the dinner at the Washington Hilton.
“The NARAL attendees – who in the past have included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and many of the nation’s top pro-choice lawmakers – have to pass through this silent gauntlet before they can ‘celebrate’ the fact that millions of American women have been hurt by this procedure,” said Tanner. “We don’t speak a word, but we know they hear our message.”
In the past, she said, women headed into the banquet will say quietly to her that they, too, regret their abortions, then urge her to keep her message to herself.
“This is the truth of abortion,” she said. “Even women who call themselves pro-choice know this procedure is bad for women, but they are afraid to speak out. We are not afraid to tell the truth.”
Tanner said women — men are welcome as well — from the campaign will meet at the hotel at 6:30 p.m., with their signs. After all the NARAL party-goers are inside, the Silent No More contingent will have dinner at another location, but will be back in position before the abortion celebration is over.
“It’s not an easy thing to be among these women who are so hostile to our message,” Tanner said. “But it’s vital they see us there. We can’t miss an opportunity to bring them face-to-face with the truth.”
Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More, said the pro-choice movement is built on the assumption that abortion is a good choice for women.
“But the women who have actually made that choice know it was the worst decision they could have made,” she said. “That’s why they are Silent No More.”
