Thousands of abortion opponents descended on Washington for the annual March for Life rally on Wednesday on the 41st anniversary of the decision in Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.
Despite wind chills in the single digits and crunchy snow underfoot, a crowd spanning several blocks huddled on the National Mall to hear speakers such as Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican House majority leader, before marching past the Capitol to the Supreme Court.
This year was marked by efforts to make the march more humble and inclusive. Angry sermons, political rhetoric and graphic imagery that had been a hallmark of previous marches were largely replaced by genteel messages.
Organizers made adoption the theme of this year’s event and invited an evangelical pastor to speak to the mostly Roman Catholic crowd. And this year, the event had an app and a Twitter hashtag, #whywemarch.
The pastor, James Dobson, appeared with his adopted son to close out the ceremony.
“Adoption is a heroic decision for pregnant mothers who find themselves in a difficult situation,†Jeanne Monahan, the president of March for Life, said in a statement. “We want to eliminate the stigma of adoption and encourage women to pursue this noble option.â€
Rick Santorum, the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania and a 2012 presidential candidate, said the movement had become one “of love, not of judgment.â€
The march drew support from Pope Francis, who chimed in on Twitter.
As he has done in previous years, President Obama issued a statement on Wednesday, committing to abide by the Roe v. Wade decision’s “guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health.â€
“We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable health care and her constitutional right to privacy, including the right to reproductive freedom,†he said. “And we resolve to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and continue to build safe and healthy communities for all our children. Because this is a country where everyone deserves the same freedom and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.â€
The march came as several courts and legislatures are considering laws to expand or restrict abortion rights.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case over whether states can limit how close abortion protesters may demonstrate outside of clinics. And the court is preparing to rule in another case on whether the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to provide coverage for abortions.
Similar battles over abortion are playing out at the state level, and liberal and conservative states appear to be moving further apart on the issue. In 2013, 22 states enacted 70 restrictions on abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports access to abortions.
At a convention earlier on Wednesday, speakers included Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, whose family is the subject of the television show “19 Kids and Countingâ€; and Jason Jones, the filmmaker behind the movie “Bella,†about a waitress who chooses not to have an abortion when she unexpectedly becomes pregnant.
The demonstrators, clad in thick layers of clothing, carried signs proclaiming “I stand for life†and “We are the pro-life generation.†One demonstrator carried a sign explaining the science behind her stance.
The abortion opponents were not alone at the Supreme Court building, where they were met by abortion advocates wielding signs that said “Keep Abortion Legal.â€
Neither side was deterred. And some activists vowed to stay in the fight for the long haul.
