Show Abortion Opponents Unite on the Mall David Snyder The Washington Post Abortion Opponents Unite on the Mall By David Snyder The Washington Post WASHINGTON Boosted by support from President Bush tens of thousands of antiabortion advocates marched on the Mall Monday of as part of an annual protest the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision guaranteeing women the right to abortion Raked by stiff winds and subfreezing temperatures throughout the day marchers from across the country walked peacefully and often silently from the Ellipse to the Supreme Court where they renewed their yearly call for Roe vs Wade to be over over- turned Speaking via telephone to toI I the gathering crowd on the snowy Ellipse Bush suggested suggest suggest- ed that abortion opponents might be closer to achieving the goal of outlawing abor abor- tion I encourage you to take heart from our achievements he said Because the true culture of life cannot be sustained sustained sustained sus sus- solely by changing laws We need most of all to change hearts With Chief Justice William H. H 80 fighting cancer and other members of the Supreme Court in their seventies and eighties optimism optimism optimism that the narrow margin on the court that has sustained the ruling will disappear was palpable among the antiabortion antiabortion anti abor tion activists Abortion opponents opponents opponents are hopeful that Bush will make several Supreme Court appointments in his second term and that the appointees will oppose Roe The end to abortion on on demand has started Rep Steve King R-Iowa R told thousands who gathered in inthe inthe inthe the open park south of the White House before the march began Spring has begun begun a a spring when all babies will be born not aborted Kim Gandy president of the National Organization for Women said abortion rights groups are watching the court carefully particularly since the re-election re of Bush who has been supportive of antiabortion groups People who have truly believed that our rights are not in jeopardy are getting a wake-up wake call she said Our rights really are in danger and I believe that will involve many more people in the issue who are deeply concerned concerned concerned con con- about losing these rights I Mondays Monday's march began with a morning youth rally and Catholic Mass at MCI Center where Christian pop bands and singers greeted thousands of anti-abortion anti advocates They came from as asfar asfar asfar far away as California to participate participate participate par par- in the Mass presided over by Cardinal Theodore E. E McCarrick archbishop of Washington The most important tl tiling thing ng is the search for the guarantee of life McCarrick told the crowd which appeared to nearly reach the arenas arena's seat capacity The desire to have a pro-life pro generation generation generation gen gen- in America is not fading fading fading fad fad- ing out Buses from Pennsylvania New Jersey North Carolina and Ohio filled the streets surSee surSee surSee sur- sur See Abortion continued on page 4 Abortion continued from front rounding MCI Center disgorging disgorging disgorging dis dis- dis- dis gorging hundreds of youths and their adult chaperones who filled the arena with an exuberant cacophony Bands played from a stage on the arena floor where hundreds hundreds hun hun- hundreds of seats were reserved for clerical leaders from across the country Banners from congregations in Michigan North Carolina and Ohio cascaded from the centers center's centers center's centers center's cen cen- ter's upper levels Mark Thomason 28 cameto came cameto to the rally from Steubenville Ohio as part of an antiabortion antiabortion anti abor tion group called Crossroads which rallies younger people to anti abortion cause by staging staging stag stag- ing long walks around the country Young people want a cause and this is the greatest cause ever the ever the cause of life the culture of life Thomason said Standing in the snow outside outside outside out out- side MCI Center as hundreds streamed by to meet the larger larg larg- er march beginning about a mile half-mile away Maryann Tyrer 38 of Kernersville NC said it was her second trip to the annual march A teacher at Bishop McGuiness High School in Kernersville Tyrer came to Washington early Sunday morning with students in three buses The group had to delay its departure from North Carolina by a few hours because of snow she said The activists made it into Washington late Sunday afternoon and slept on a gymnasium gymnasium gymnasium gym gym- floor at Catholic University Were here to make a stand for life in all its stages she said We Ve hope the presence presence pres pres- presence ence of this huge crowd will send a to obi elected l t d 1 I d rs thae huge p t the electorate is pro life pro k lu Thousands of placards that said Fight for Life were were stacked like firewood against MCI Centers Center's outer walls awaiting the thousands of celebrants celebrants celebrants cel cel- who would join the thousands already at the Ellipse As s he has since 2001 Bush spoke to the gathering masses over a loudspeaker system via telephone Monday he spoke from the presidential retreat at Camp David In past years he has addressed the crowd but never in person Marchers chanting the prayers of the rosary moved swiftly and steadily up Constitution Avenue bearing signs that said Abortion is is Homicide and Vida Pro or pro life in Spanish Organizers estimated the crowd at Following common practice with large gatherings on the Mall law enforcement officials did not provide a crowd estimate The march appeared to fill up much of Constitution Avenue for the two-mile two distance between the Ellipse and the Supreme Court and at times marchers were to shoulder-to- shoulder for the entire walka- walka ble width of the street The march appeared to be and often was quiet except for occasional occasional occasional occa occa- chants of Hey ho hey ho Roe v. v Wade has got to togo togo togo go The anti-abortion anti marchers encountered several small clusters of demon counter but there appeared to be few confrontations between the groups District of Columbia police and US U.S. Park Police reported no arrests or disturbances A handful of National Organization for Women demonstrators counter-demonstrators met the march near the steps of the Supreme Court Holding signs that said Keep Abortion Legal the small group exchanged words with anti-abortion anti activists but nobody appeared to raise their voices Staff writers Michael A. A Fletcher and Del Quentin Wilber contributed to this report r. r |