ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE IN WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (LSN)—Yesterday, pro-lifers from across the US marked the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,  which legalized abortion on demand. Carrying signs reading “Abortion stops a beating heart,”“Emancipate the unborn,”“Bill, do you feel the pain?,” and “Hillary, abortion isn’t child care,” tens of thousands gathered on the grassy Ellipse behind the White House where white crosses were placed in the ground ground as a symbol of the 35 million abortions committed since the infamous decision. From there, the group marched peacefully through the streets to the Supreme Court.  Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) addressed the demonstrators, calling the number of abortions “a holocaust of staggering proportions.” Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), who also took part in the march, said abortions since 1973 have outnumbered all American dead in every war from the Revolution to the Persian Gulf.  Pope John Paul II also recalled the US anniversary in a message to US bishops read at a vigil held at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Wednesday night. In his message, the pope urged people to pray for an end to the abortion holocaust. “As the experience of the past twenty-five years has shown, legalized abortion has been a destructive force in the lives of many individuals, especially women who are often left alone to bear the deep sorrow and regret which follow the decision to destroy the life of an unborn child,” he said.