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Did the Women\u2019s March on Washington, across the US, and in major cities around the world have anything to do with medical care? Yes and no.<\/p>\nDid the Women\u2019s March on Washington, across the US, and in major cities around the world have anything to do with medical care? Yes and no.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve lived and worked in Washington, DC for more than 30 years, and I\u2019ve seen a lot of demonstrations, and participated in a fair number as well. But I\u2019ve never seen a demonstration quite like the Women\u2019s March that was held the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Much of the media attention before the march was on the celebrities that were planning to attend. And they were there\u2014bold faced names like Scarlett Johansen and Katy Perry, Senators and Congresswomen, and numerous celebrities whose names I am too old to recognise. But because the permit was for an area that was much too small for the crowd that showed up, the vast majority of the approximately half million women, men, and children never saw or heard most\u2014perhaps any\u2014of the 4-hour program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But what seemed to be the even stronger message was the refusal to go back to the days when sexual assault was generally dismissed as \u201clocker room talk\u201d rather than a public health epidemic that needed to be prevented.\u00a0 The sea of bright pink \u201cpussyhats\u201d at the various marches\u2014hats that many women told me they had made and given away for free to anyone who wanted them\u2014held the key to the underlying message. There was considerable controversy before the marches about whether the pussyhats were a good joke or a terrible strategic blunder that took attention away from serious issues. But on the day of the marches, the pink hats were everywhere and the message was clear: we\u2019re not going to forgive or forget the vulgar boast that Donald Trump made during a private conversation with a live mic, and we can\u2019t let him or anyone else think it was acceptable just because he was elected anyway. \u00a0In other words: Women are worthy of respect and we are going to demand that respect.<\/em><\/p>\n The other clear message, repeated all day in what became the most popular chant at the Washington march was, \u201cThis is what democracy looks like.\u201d\u00a0 The subtext: We are peacefully demonstrating to let elected officials know that millions of Americans reject the direction they are going in, especially regarding issues of most importance to women.<\/em>\u00a0Those include access to affordable health care, access to safe reproductive health care, laws to protect women from sexual assault and harassment, laws to prevent violence against women and to help victims of violence, voting rights, and protections against discrimination on the basis of sex, race, or age.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2017\/01\/Trust-Yourself-sign-Jan-2017-300x225.jpg\")
That\u2019s why, compared to other demonstrations, the Women\u2019s March had no one clear message imposed by the organisers. Instead it took on a life of its own, based on the signs and sentiments of those attending.\u00a0 There were relatively few signs regarding the Affordable Care Act. Perhaps because it seemed so unusual, I noticed quite a few with drawings of the uterus\u2014though the message was a popular feminist theme: \u201ckeep your laws off my body.” Abortion rights were not the major issue of the day, despite some media reports that anti-abortion female Trump voters were upset because they felt excluded from a women\u2019s march. It seemed logical to me that Trump voters\u2014even those who considered themselves feminists\u2014were not going to feel welcome, because the bigger, broader message was aimed at those longing to \u201cmake America great again\u201d like it was in the good old days:\u00a0 We won\u2019t go back!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2017\/01\/Sign-says-it-all-225x300.jpg\")
For some demonstrators, they were referring to not being willing to go back to days when women had limited reproductive rights. Others focused on not going back to a time when women were assumed to be less worthy than men and therefore merely the rare tokens in the halls of power, including the US President\u2019s cabinet and inner circle. (Unfortunately, the new Administration has already gone back to those days in their most important Cabinet nominations.)<\/p>\n