Washougal councilman occupies … Life!

Toward the end of our phone conversation about a pro-life conference he attended in Washington, D.C., Washougal councilman Jon Russell mentioned his “occupation.”

The term’s ubiquity in recent months led me to assume he was referring to a movement, rather than his, you know, occupation. I jokingly asked him, “This is your Occupy?”

Russell, being a good sport, responded, “Yeah, Occupy Life.”

The “Occupy Life” term the Washougal councilman coined actually referred to the Students for Life of America (SFLA) conference and March for Life he participated in Sunday and Monday in our nation’s capital.

Russell is the regional coordinator for SFLA, a Virginia-based organization seeking to abolish abortion by educating students. He estimated 2,000 high school and college students came together Sunday to discuss, among other things, what will happen when Roe v. Wade is overthrown.

It is not a matter of if, Russell suggested, but when the Supreme Court repeals the landmark case.

“The technology and medicine is expanding so rapidly it is harder for the pro-choice movement to hide the fact life begins at conception,” said Russell, who owns an urgent and family care clinic.

Don’t expect him to bring up an anti-abortion ordinance in Washougal, though.

“This is a national issue,” he said. “This is about setting things right that have been wrong for 40 years.”

The Occupy Life movement, it seems, is not going anywhere.