On Sunday, I participated in the annual Life Chain event that takes place at churches, courthouses, and other public places across the country (and in Canada!) as the pro-life community joins together and calls attention to the scourge of abortion. It's not always a fun event, and I'll explain why, but it's always a worthwhile one that provokes reactions. And that's the goal.
At my church, we gather alongside the road connecting our Catholic parish with the county courthouse a few blocks away. We carry unabashedly pro-life signs and try to space ourselves out so that drivers have to look at a stream of us while they drive through town.
I always seek out an "Abortion Hurts Women" sign (like the one in this article's featured image) to hold and wave at the passing drivers. Let me tell you, the liberal ladies of Loudoun County do not like this one – and that's why I choose it every year.
Here's what the Life Chain looks like:
Standing for the unborn against abortion! More than 220 pro-lifers of all ages joined Life Chain in Barry's Bay, a Canadian town of 1500 people. https://t.co/nky3chhyoi
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) October 5, 2026
It rained at this year's event, but our pro-life activists turned out because Virginia is voting this November on an amendment to the state constitution that would enshrine abortion "rights" up until a baby's due date. Sitting this one out was not an option.
So, I grabbed my "Abortion Hurts Women" sign, positioned myself across the street from our church, and waited for the reactions of the passersby. There's usually some indifference – many drivers try to act like they don't see you – along with a few one-finger salutes and lots of honking approval.
The speed limit is 20 MPH on the stretch of road we're on, so we get to see the drivers and passengers pretty clearly. I was standing by myself with a message targeted at women, so, that, of course, makes me a target.
The first vehicle to not appreciate that abortion hurts women was a carload of teen girls who slowed down next to me to give me an array of middle fingers. The young and dumb chime in like that every year.
Then came the minivan carrying a group of white Boomers. While one woman chanted, "No, no, no, no!" over and over, a Boomer dude screamed "Pro-choice!!" at me. Meh, is that all they've got?
The real trouble this year came from the walkers who were trying to access the nearby park. Most usually keep to themselves and move along. One year, a male biker tried to knock the sign out of my hands (and I very kindly decided not to knock him off his bike).
I had the pleasure in 2026 of having two AWFLs confront me on the sidewalk. The first was a woman walking her dog, she was probably in her late 60s – she was your classic No Kings kind of person and was as sour-faced as they come. She told me that I was the one hurting women, adding, "You should be ashamed to call yourself a woman."
She harumphed her way down the block, yelling at every person in the Life Chain (although, curiously, not the black mother and daughter across the street from me).
I later learned that this same woman barked at one sign holder and told my friend Matt, who was holding a "Choose Life" sign, "I choose ME!"
A few minutes later, another AWFL woman, marching self-righteously ahead of her husband, screamed in my face, "You are murdering women!!" The husband nodded his approval as he stormed past.
Whereas I had not responded to AWFL #1, I told AWFL #2 to "get behind me, Satan." That actually shut her up.
Despite the ugliness on display from the left, the event was actually quite beautiful to behold. A young man held a sign saying, "Men always regret the children they never had." Another carried a "Baby Lives Matter" placard.
A group of young girls cheered every time a car honked in support and booed those who resorted to obscene gestures. Young families had their kids hold up "I'm a child, not a choice" signs.
It was the youth factor that really impressed me – and likely really shook the leftists passing by in anger. This wasn't just older people turning up, it was young, cool, hip kids and adults who were ardently, proudly standing for life.
That may be the thing the pro-abortion left should fear most: a new generation that isn’t embarrassed, intimidated, or afraid to stand up for life.
