News

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered on the national mall in the nation’s capital yesterday standing in the cold on a cloudy day with a slight rain. The weather however did nothing to dampen the spirits of the vast crowd nor the political and spiritual leaders who addressed them prior to the march.

Following the phone-in address by President George W. Bush in which he said he was proud “to be standing with you” (full text published yesterday here: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08012201.html ), dozens of politicians spoke of their pro-life convictions and thanked the massive crowd for their support and witness to those in power.

 

Powerful addresses were made by spiritual leaders and with a prayer and a rousing rendition of America, the march commenced. What would normally be a 15 minute walk took the line of marchers hours to complete.

Fifty across and thousands deep the march was an unbelievable sea of people. Some near the front who had completed the march went for lunch and returned to their hotel rooms only to see thousands of marchers still progressing toward the Supreme Court.

LifeSiteNews.com spoke with John Alger, the Convention Director of the March for Life about the attendance at this year’s march. “The largest estimate to date was 225,000,” said Alger.  “But we think this was at least as big as the largest if not larger, it was just an overwhelming turnout.”

Leading the March were a large group of women who had had abortions and regretted them.  At one point the March stopped briefly as Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King invited the marchers to join her in singing “We will overcome”.

At the conclusion of the March those women shared their testimonies in front of the Supreme Court.  After the women were finishing their presentations, a rainbow appeared just over the Court building.