Anti-abortion rally draws thousands in Washington

Anti-abortion protestors march to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Jan. 25, 2013. / AP Photo

WASHINGTON Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators marched through Washington to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to protest the landmark decision that legalized abortion.

The annual event took on added significance for many in the crowd since it coincided with the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that created a constitutional right to abortion in some circumstances. The demonstrators, carrying signs with messages such as "Defend Life" and "Defund Planned Parenthood," shouted chants including "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go." They packed the National Mall and surrounding streets for the March of Life.

"I just felt this 40th year marked a huge anniversary for the law," said one demonstrator, Pam Tino, 52, of Easton, Mass, who also participated several years ago. "Forty is a very important year in the Bible as well, in terms of years in the desert. And I just felt like maybe this year that was going to be something miraculous that might happen. We might see something going forward with the cause."

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With the re-election of President Barack Obama, she added, "we just have our walking papers. Now we just feel like we have to keep the battle up."

The large turnout reflected the ongoing relevance of the abortion debate four decades after the decision.

It remains a divisive issue with no dramatic shift in viewpoint on either side; a new Pew Research Center poll finds 63 percent of U.S. adults opposed to overturning Roe, compared to 60 percent in 1992. Earlier this week, abortion opponents marked the anniversary with workshops, prayers and calls for more limits on abortion rights. And even as Obama this week reaffirmed his commitment to "reproductive freedom," state legislatures continue to consider varied restrictions on a woman's ability to receive an abortion.

Among the speakers at Friday's rally was Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and staunch abortion opponent who last year unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination.

He recalled the love and support the country showed for his young daughter, Bella, who was born with a serious genetic condition and whose illness led him to take some time off from the campaign trail. He cited his daughter's life — "she is joyful, she is sweet, she is all about love" — as a reason to discourage abortion even in instances when women are told that it would be "better" for their unborn children to have one.

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"We all know that death is never better — never better. Really what it's about is saying is it would be easier for us, not better for her," he said. "And I'm here to tell you ... Bella is better for us and we are better because of Bella."

He said the anti-abortion cause was made up of people who every day advocate for their position outside abortion clinics and at crisis pregnancy centers.

"This movement is not a bunch of moralizers standing on their mountaintop preaching what is right," Santorum said.

One demonstrator, Mark Fedarko, 44, of Cleveland, said he regularly stands outside of abortion clinics in hopes of discouraging women from going inside.

"There's God's law and man's law," he said. But I follow God's law first. Like it says right here, thou shall not kill. That's the end of the story. We need to protect these children."

[Truthnotlie]

Question: When women are pregnant do they refer to the child as a fetus or a baby? Do they say we're having a baby or we're having a fetus? Hows your baby doing or hows your fetus doing? Look at an ultrasound and tell me that that is not a human being. It has hands feet a heart it can feel pain when it is being killed through abortion. Pro choicers you say its her body well you are wrong. It is her also her childs body which she is killing. It is not a potential life it is a life. You can deny it all you want but a borting a HUMAN BEING is murder.

[402AreaCode]

Thousands? Half a million is now considered thousands? CBS is nothing but a mouthpiece for relativism.

[Mr_H]

If you are interested in reading an inspiring and captivating book about the pro-life movement, I highly recommend the memoir "Abandoned" by pro-life leader Monica Migliorino Miller.

I recently finished the book, which is an autobiographical account of her years on the front-lines of the pro-life movement, and I found it to be a life-changing read.

More details about the book can be found here:

http://allhands-ondeck.blogspot.com/2013/01/this-morning-i-finished-reading.html

[shannon-hope]

Such a distortion of reporting! 1/2 million Marched for LIFE! And 6,000 marched to defend our 2nd Amendment rights. There is a reason CBS's
ratings are so low. People want the truth-not a distorted-biased-socialstic. view of the news. If they ever realize this, their ratings will jump

[coolflannelcat]

So tired of mainsteam media's propoganda. Blaringly obvious! Over 1/2 million people showed up for a PRO LIFE rally. What does their headline say? Anti-Abortion Rally Draws Thousands! Your agenda and bias is showing CBS. And the public is SICK of it.

[coolflannelcat]

So tired of mainsteam media's propoganda. Blaringly obvious! Over 1/2 million people showed up for a PRO LIFE rally. What does their headline say? Anti-Abortion Rally Draws Thousands! Your agenda and bias is showing CBS. And the public is SICK of it.

[GuyFox1605]

The appalling anti-Catholic bigotry here is despicable.

[TillMidnight]

You are right but it is always this way on this CBS News site.
The ignorance of some of these anti-Catholic bigoted posters is stunning and pitiful but we must forgive them and move on.

[thehartsofmichigan]

I find it sad to read all these post that say a child shouldnt come in to the world unwanted..ok so a child should be killed because it was unwanted?? then what is the difference if you kill a child that is born and given up for adoption it was unwanted?? I bet all of you that say abortion is ok and a good thing cried when all the children died at sandy hook...how can you say that abortion is right when it ends a life no matter how old that life is!

[rising_phoenix100]

A "life" is not a LIFE until it's VIABLE...BORN AND BREATHING. Before that it's only a "potential" life so your point is irrelevant. Read your BUYBULL... even it states that LIFE is "created" only when BREATH has entered the lungs. But then again... 99.9% have no CLUE what the buybull says....you all just make it up as you go along and cherry pick the rest.

[BCSaugerties]

The continued senseless slaughter of the unborn unleashed by the Democratic party that stomp their feet cheering and clapping their self imposed so called right to murder the unborn in their feeble attempts to think that somehow a personal agenda of self importance supersedes what is aberrant to nature. Killing your offspring for convenience because the life ended is deemed of less importance than that of the chooser will never be accepted by people that think life is sacred and should be protected.Today's abortion advocates are not unlike the crazed attendee's at the Roman Coliseum who cheered the daily Lion's v Christian's daily matinee. For a person who is alive to decide another should not live is just plain wrong.

[grumpas]

I consider it immoral to bring an unwanted child into this world for any reason!!!

[rising_phoenix100]

Why are there no thumbs up for these comments ? Thumbs up x 1000 from me.