The enormous crowd cheered on speakers and vowed to continue fighting to maintain reproductive rights, primarily by electing Democrats to the White House in November.
Hillary Clinton appeared at the rally, urging people to ascertain that their voting-eligible friends are registered to vote. She also encouraged marchers to urge their friends to vote. Clinton also reminded the marchers that the last time there was a march centered around the issue of choice was 12 years ago. Her husband, a pro-choice candidate, was elected shortly afterwards.
Actress Cybill Shepherd questioned President Bush's actions. "Maybe his name makes him think he can manage our bushes better than we do," she said.
Following Shepherd's speech,. the marchers slowly surged forward, past the White House, holding signs like "Bush, stay out of mine" and "Pro-Children, Pro-Family, Pro-Life." Throughout the March, people chanted cheers like: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, George Bush has got to go."
The delegation from the College wore matching purple T-shirts that read: "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people."
After walking for two miles, the marchers reassembled on the Mall to listen to more speakers, including actress Whoopi Goldberg, former presidential candidate Carol Mosely-Braun and Sarah Weddington, the attorney who argued Roe v. Wade.
One of the final speakers, a medical student, shared several interesting statistics: 87 percent of counties in the United States do not even have abortion services and more time in medical school is dedicated to teaching about Viagra than about abortion.
The March was intended to show support for changing those statistics. "It's about access to resources for women to have children or not have children. It's about respecting the right to make whatever choice you want," explained Kate Stayman-London '05, who attended the March.
Linden Karas '06 explained the concept of the March. "That's what democracy is about," she said. "I just hope it works."
The issues raised by the March brought people together. "It was incredible to be able to see so many different types of people," said Sarah Bergman '04. She was excited to see the variety of age. "It's good to know; it provides assurance that the next generation knows what's going on," she said.
Geoff Walter '04 expressed similar sentiments. "I feel like the time has come for our generation to step up to the plate, and [the March for Women's Lives] was evidence that we're ready to rise to the challenge and that there are more of us than we think," he said.
To express the message of the March, marchers wore their T-shirts on campus Monday. "This is our message of solidarity to show how many of us care, how many of us are willing to get active," explained Callie Folger '07.
As co-coordinator of the Amherst delegation, Emily Silberstein '06 was thrilled to attend the march. "It was inspiring to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people from all walks of life that were passionate about women's rights and the future of our country," she said.
She hopes that the March will bring attention to the issue of reproductive rights. "I hope the March serves as a wake up call to America that our reproductive rights are being challenged now more than ever and it is time for citizens to take notice," she said.
After a long day on the streets of Washington, D.C., Karas summed up the experience. "We haven't slept, our feet are killing us ... but you have to be there because you believe in it," she said.