The inaugural Women's Convention, organized by the same people responsible for the Women's March on Washington, had a rocky first year. They first received plenty of criticism for choosing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as their keynote speaker. Were no women available? outraged feminists wondered.
Sanders eventually withdrew from the convention, choosing instead to make a trip to survey the damage in Puerto Rico.
When the convention finally got underway, attendees said there was much to be admired - like a diversity of opinion.
The Daily Signal's Kelsey Harkness asked attendees at the convention if they thought the organizers could have done a better job making conservative women feel welcome, considering none of the panels featured at the event included a pro-life voice. Some of the responses were pleasantly surprising.
"That was definitely something that I highly disagree with," said one attendee.
“It’s not a very welcoming space for women who feel conservatively,” another attendee admitted.
Another interviewee said that most of the panels reflected a “progressive” perspective, but thinks the convention could have done a better job offering other points of view.
“Your opinions matter, your personal agenda matters,” she said of conservative-minded women. “It’s not a dictatorship.”
Students for Life of America President Kristin Hawkins says while it’s a nice idea to think next year's Women Convention could be more inclusive, she doesn’t have much hope, considering the convention was largely sponsored by Planned Parenthood.
The Women's March in January was guilty of the same thing. When they were preparing to march through the nation's capital the day after President Trump's inauguration, the organizers suspiciously excluded pro-life women's groups from signing on as sponsors.