Abortion opponents rallied on the national Mall and marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to again protest the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion 38 years ago.
At least three dozen lawmakers addressed the crowd during a rally to start the annual “March for Life.” The lawmakers, buoyed by Republican gains in the House in November, called for the landmark court decision to be overturned and vowed they would work to restrict tax dollars for abortion.
“We stand with you for life,” Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-ranking House Republican, told the marchers. “Thanks to your support last November, there’s a new majority in town.”
Mr. Cantor said the new group of Republicans in Congress is the “biggest and the most pro-life freshman class in memory.”
Just last week, Republicans in the House introduced two bills to toughen restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortions. On Monday, rally speakers also called for an end to funding of Planned Parenthood and booed when told that President Obama made a statement over the weekend supporting the Roe decision.
Abortion foes, including many church groups, braved temperatures in the high 20s to hold signs such as “Life counts” and “Term limits 4 Congress not babies” during a two-hour rally before the march.
John Weaver of Sterling, Va., carried a sign that read “I lost a child to abortion” and said he has been coming to the rally since 1996 when his fiancee had an abortion.
“I’m still in pain every day,” he said.
The first “March for Life” rally was held in 1974, a year after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision. Saturday was the actual anniversary of the ruling.
A poll conducted last year by CBS News and the New York Times found 58 percent of adults say they think the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade was a good one, while 34 percent said it was a bad decision.
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