After fortifying themselves with Holy Communion at Sunday Mass, members of the Tradition, Family, Property (TFP)-Texas pro-life caravan went to the nearby McCain Mall in North Little Rock to hold a public rosary rally. The January 16 event was in reparation for the infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. The original plan called for attending the Arkansas March for Life that afternoon. However, out of an “abundance of caution,” the march was postponed with rumors of an online video conference to substitute it.
In reparation for the infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
Unfazed, volunteers with the TFP caravan defended the rights of the unborn in the best way possible, through the public recitation of the Rosary. Several Catholic families that had also planned to be at the march joined them. A tremendous outpouring of support came from a diverse crowd of young and old as the intersection was filled with the sound of honking and the cadenced chant of Hail Marys.
One woman stopped to ask about the TFP. When she heard the volunteers were Catholic, she said, “I’m a Baptist, but I couldn’t agree more with you! You are doing God’s work!”
After the rally, the pro-life caravan moved south to New Orleans.
What Happened at New Orleans
New Orleans is a city full of Catholic history. More saints walked it’s streets than any other American city. Before resuming their campaigns, volunteers of the caravan visited some of the city’s historic sites.
Foremost among the sites was the gold equestrian statue of Saint Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans. Before the statue, TFP member Ben Broussard commented about how residents had clothed the statue in a sports jersey to celebrate a football championship. Caravan members were indignant at the trivialization of the statue.
A local man overheard the conversation and said grumbling, “Why’s that so horrible? She’s part of our city too.” When the TFP members explained how the action insults the holy and sacred character of the saint, the man asked, “Are you worshiping this statue?” Cesar Franco replied: “Do you have a family album? Do you worship their images? Of course not. We know that Saint Joan of Arc is in Heaven and this statue is merely a way to remember and honor her.”
Later during a busy campaign, a man approached the volunteers and shouted, “Why aren’t you wearing masks? Are you kidding me? You’re out here talking about abortion but none of you are wearing masks? A TFP member calmly responded to the aggressive man, “Ninety-nine percent of abortions result in death, can you say the same thing about Covid-19?” Hearing this, the man became furious and filmed the campaign while threatening to report the caravan members as “white supremacists.”
Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana
The next day the caravan move on to Baton Rouge and eventually Lafayette, Louisiana. In Baton Rouge, a man shouted to the TFP members, “I was almost aborted as a baby, so I can say firsthand, abortion is wrong!”
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
That afternoon in Lafayette, caravan members experienced strong support from the public at a busy intersection. One woman enthusiastically responded to a sign which read “A child is a blessing, not a disease.” She clapped her hands and shouted, “Absolutely! Absolutely!” and laid on her horn until the traffic light changed.
One very sad incident was a mother who refused to honk her horn, while her son in the backseat gave the volunteers a thumbs up and nodded in agreement.
At a nearby gas station, a customer accosted caravan volunteer Dimitri saying, “I swear if you’re one of those protestors, I’m going to blow my brains out.”
“Which protestors are you talking about?” he replied.
“The ones out there protesting abortion,” the woman said as Dimitri steeled himself for the inevitable debate by saying “Yes, I am. Every baby has the right to life.”
The woman angrily retorted, “I was raped three times. Abortion should be allowed in the case of rape.” A nearby man observed the scene and chimed in, “Well that’s awful. Every baby has the right to live.”
The woman grew angry at the newcomer while Dimitri was surprised to find an ally. He asked, “But don’t you believe those are children and that they shouldn’t be killed?”
The woman actually agreed saying that “Yes I agree they’re babies, but I think a woman should be allowed to kill those babies in the case of rape.”
“Well what about the babies’ rights?” the man responded.
Feeling outmatched and enraged, she yelled, “If it wasn’t against the law I would kill you right now.”
As she stormed away, the friendly customer told Dimitri, “Hey thanks for standing up for the baby’s right to life, babies should have the right to live.”
A young man walked up to the campaign from a nearby parking lot. Finding the TFP members, he smiled and asked, “Are you TFP? I love y’all! I watch all your videos! I’m so happy I had the day off. Otherwise I would have missed you.” He shook hands with everyone present.
TFP volunteers later engaged two young men in a truck who were ignoring the campaign. One member shouted “Honk your horn, thank God your mom chose life, right?” The startled driver replied “Yeah, I’m happy to be alive, but I don’t have an opinion on abortion.”
TFP: “Why? Abortion is the wrong choice, its murder.”
Truck driver: “That’s what you say, but it’s not really a life.”
TFP: “If it isn’t alive then what is it?”
Truck Occupant: “It’s just a clump of cells.”
TFP: “Then you are just a bigger clump of cells.” The two young men quickly drove away.
Conclusion
This caravan has been very different from past efforts. There are irregular schedules, canceled rallies and uncertainty everywhere. The horror of legalized abortion was replaced with a terror of sensationalized infection. However, the pro-life movement must forge ahead. Abortion clinics, somehow deemed essential, continue their macabre work unperturbed. Pro-life activists cannot afford to retreat to online virtual activism. The pro-life caravan of TFP-Texas seeks to be a light shining in this time of darkness. When ordinary activism is stymied, the TFP caravan proves that alternative courses of action are possible. In the battle against abortion, pro-lifers need to fight unceasingly, even in the face of uncertainty, to defend the rights of the unborn.
by Evan Olwell