The annual anti-abortion rally in the U.S. capital on Friday sounded more like a victory celebration, as speakers expressed a growing sense of optimism that their long-sought goal, a radical rollback of abortion rights, was finally within reach.
Thousands rallied Friday in the bitter cold and marched to the Supreme Court, which has indicated it will allow states to impose tighter restrictions on abortion with a ruling in the coming months, possibly overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion.
“It doesn’t feel real. There’s so much hope, vitality, happiness and joy in this,” said Jordan Moorman of Cincinnati. “I really think we’re in a post-Roe generation.”
The annual rally March for Life, which took place one day before the 49th anniversary of the Roe decision, was held amid a COVID-19 surge that limited participation on the National Mall.
Some abortion opponents posted on the event’s Facebook page that they would not attend because of vaccination mandates for people going to restaurants and other venues in the District of Columbia.
Still, the rally drew a crowd of thousands, with a large contingent of young people and students bused in by schools and religious groups. The mood was overwhelmingly optimistic, and many considered the end of Roe v. Wade inevitable.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, in a statement issued Saturday, said the right established under Roe “is under attack as never before” and said they were committed “to ensuring that this country does not roll back equality for women.”
“We must ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have the same fundamental rights that their mothers and grandmothers fought for and won on this day, 49 years ago,” they said.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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