You may have seen a clip from the March for Life trending online where a self-described leftist insisted you can still be a true leftist and oppose abortion, arguing that pro-abortion rhetoric is morally bankrupt and even coercive. That moment wasn’t some isolated glitch — pro-life progressives have been showing up at the March for Life for years, refusing to let the left-wing orthodoxy monopolize morality on this issue.
These aren’t paper-thin arguments either; organized groups like Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising and other “alt” pro-life networks have marched alongside traditional conservatives, bringing signs that tie life to wider social justice themes. Their presence embarrasses the media narrative that equates pro-life views with only one political tribe, and it exposes the intellectual cowardice of those who insist you must pick a tidy party label over consistent moral reasoning.
Of course, the reaction from the hard-left fringe has been predictably ugly — some pro-abortion counter-protesters have hurled the “fascist” slur at peaceful marchers while staging theatrical disruptions. That reflexive name-calling says more about the intolerance of the abortion lobby than it does about the pro-life movement’s motives, and it highlights how the Left too often resorts to intimidation instead of argument.
Conservatives should welcome and celebrate anyone who comes to the truth that every human life deserves protection, even when that person calls themselves a leftist. This is proof that the pro-life case transcends partisan talking points; it’s grounded in biology, reason, and empathy for the most vulnerable — a moral calling that demands courage, not conformity.
Let’s be blunt: the modern pro-abortion movement’s shrill insistence that dissent is oppression reveals its own authoritarian streak. When defenders of abortion policy resort to policing language and labeling opponents as extremists, they expose the shrinking marketplace of ideas on the Left and the urgent need for honest moral debate in our public square.
If a liberal can stand in the crowd at the March for Life and call out what they see as immoral or coercive in contemporary pro-abortion arguments, then conservatives should stop treating this as a partisan cudgel and start treating it as an opportunity. We can win hearts and minds not by screaming louder, but by offering steady facts, real compassion for mothers, and a consistent defense of human dignity that welcomes allies from across the political spectrum.
