Thousands Of Marchers Mark Roe Decision

Thousands of abortion opponents marched through the nation’s capital Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision that made a woman’s right to choose an abortion the law of the land.

“We’re not going away until we stop the abortions,” said Nellie Gray, who helped organize the annual “March for Life” by abortion foes from the White House to the Supreme Court.

Abortion-rights advocates also staged a rally of their own featuring Vice President Al Gore in recognition of the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.

Gore urged abortion-rights supporters and foes to seek “common ground” in the controversial debate over the issue as he announced that the Clinton administration would propose an increase next year in federal family planning programs from $203 million to $218 million.

“Let us pound home the point that the single most effective way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies,” Gore said to loud applause.

Across town, abortion opponents continued to call for the Roe decision to be overturned and for passage of laws making it more difficult for minors to obtain abortions. They said there would be no compromise on the issue until the courts put an end to what Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., described as “a holocaust of staggering proportions” caused by the procedure.

Smith, speaking to abortion foes as they pounded white wooden crosses into the ground near the White House to symbolize the estimated 35 million abortions that have occurred since 1973, said that he would help lead the fight when Congress reconvenes next week to outlaw the controversial late-term procedure that opponents call partial-birth abortion.

The fight to ban that procedure has become the top priority of opponents, and they criticized President Clinton on Thursday for his veto of a bill that would have made such abortions illegal.