WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion opponents marched from the National Mall to the Supreme Court today in their annual remembrance of the court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
TWT Video: March for Life
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the landmark ruling establishing the nationwide right to abortion.
Thousands of demonstrators participated in the march despite chilly weather. Predicted snow and rain held off except for occasional cold drizzle.
“The weather wants to keep us away but our hearts are on fire!” said Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, one of many lawmakers who spoke at a two-hour rally on the Mall before the march.
President Bush voiced support for those attending the event, known as the March for Life.
“Thirty-five years ago today the United States Supreme Court declared and decided that under the law an unborn child is not considered a person, but we know many things about the unborn,” said Bush, who hosted about 200 of the demonstrators in the East Room for coffee and doughnuts.
In remarks that were later broadcast to other demonstrators, Bush said biology confirms that from the start, each unborn child is a separate individual with his or her own genetic code.
“Babies can now survive outside the mother’s womb at younger and younger ages,” he said. “And the fingers and toes and beating hearts that we can see on an unborn child’s ultrasound come with something that we cannot see: a soul.”
As night fell in Washington, several dozen women marched outside the Supreme Court in support of abortion rights. A larger crowd of anti-abortion demonstrators listened to statements from women who said they have come to regret their abortions.
Supreme Court police reported no problems or arrests.
In addition to more typical “Defend life” and “Stop abortion” signs, some in the crowd held banners in support of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the longshot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
Paul, a libertarian with an anti-war bent, also addressed the rally, where he spoke of his credentials as an obstetrician who has delivered 4,000 babies.
“The debate over when life begins should not be a debate. Let me assure you: All life begins at conception,” he said.
Click the arrow to watch a video of the march. The story continues below the video
Sisters Erin Gordon, 31, and Molly Flaherty, 21, were among the many people wearing stickers in support of Paul.
The two recalled coming to the annual march with their parents when they were growing up in Long Island, N.Y.
Gordon, who now lives in Richmond, Va., said she enjoyed the feeling of unity at the march.
“You really see that the abortion laws in the United States really don’t reflect the heart of America,” she said.
Paul Buede, of Keedysville, Md., said he had been coming to the march for the last several years. This time, he and his wife brought along their four children, ranging in age from 1 to 10. Four-year-old Andrew carried a sign with a baby’s face and the slogan “Face it. Abortion kills.”
“I’m hoping that they grow up with a strong appreciation for life and for the importance of civil disobedience in our society and free speech,” Buede said.
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