Live March for Life Coverage, 1/25/13: U.S. News Walks With Rick Santorum
Reporter Elizabeth Flock brings coverage from the ground in Washington D.C.
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Anti-abortion activists march past the US Capitol during the annual 'March for Life' Friday in Washington. The march coincides with the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade US Supreme Court decision that legalized access to abortion. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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The March for Life rally is now winding down. The crowds are dispersing, and signs have been thrown away:Now that the #marchforlife has almost ended, how will pro-lifers continue the cause? twitter.com/amandaking722/…
— Amanda King (@amandaking722) January 25, 2013
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Participants in the March for Life span from the very young to the very old.
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Santorum tells U.S. News that he believes a majority of Americans are against abortion, but that the pro-life movement is under "an assault from the courts to the legislatures, from the popular culture to educational institutions, who have pushing this abortion culture almost non-stop."
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Crowds begin to converge on the National Mall.
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Hundreds of pro-life advocates are waiting for the march to begin.
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Republican Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky just arrived. He is also expected to address the march.
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Many religious groups have gathered for the rally. St. Joseph's Catholic Church has come from Yonkers, New York to hold a sign that says "Respect life from conception unto natural death."
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Santorum prepares for his speech.
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Santorum chats with young pro-life advocates.
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Campaigners from Savethe1.com, which oppose abortion even in the case of rape, pose for photos with Santorum.
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Santorum told U.S. News that he wants to do more to emphasize pregnancy crisis centers, which he said "put an accurate face on the pro-life movement."
"The vast majority are not people who want to march on abortion clinics. They are people who want to help people who are in crises," he said.
A crisis center van is set up at the March for Life rally Friday. -
Silent No More, a coalition that includes a number of women who say they regret their abortion, stand and address the crowd.
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Santorum is introduced to the March for Life crowd with the story that he "chose life" despite a prenatal diagnosis for his daughter, Bella, with Trisomy 18, a rare disease.
Surrounded by his wife and children, Santorum told the crowd that he was "encouraged to abort" Bella but that "death is never better... Bella is better for us, and we are better because of Bella." -
Santorum addresses the March For Life rally with his family by his side.
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The crowd continues to gather on the National Mall during the March For Life rally.
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Crowd displays various signs on the National Mall during the March For Life rally.
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The crowd has begun marching up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building. As he walks, Santorum is flanked by his wife, children, members of his group, "Patriot Voices," and dozens of supporters trying to get his attention.
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Santorum poses with his wife, Karen, and a supporter in front of a sign for "Patriot Voices," the group Santorum started after his failed presidential bid.
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Snowflakes are beginning to fall on the March for Life as the crowd approaches the Supreme Court. Young pro-lifers who've caught a glimpse of Santorum shout "Keep it up, Rick!"
Nearby, several churches sing hymns as they walk. -
“Bikers for Life” how awesomely manly is that?!? #MarchForLife #iamprolife twitter.com/Future_FloNigh…
— Future Flo Night (@Future_FloNight) January 25, 2013 -
These young men have been chanting "thank you, mom" #marchforlife twitter.com/kathrynlopez/s…
— Kathryn Jean Lopez (@kathrynlopez) January 25, 2013 -
The National Park Police declines to estimate the size of Friday's march, but organizers have said the crowd is larger than the 400,000 who attended last year.
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In a conversation with U.S. News Thursday, Santorum called President Barack Obama "the most extreme president on abortion in history."
Santorum also repeated the claim that Obama, as an Illinois state legislator, voted for "infanticide."
Politifact previously gave Santorum a "pants on fire" rating for that assertion, saying that although Obama voted against "born-alive" legislation "at no time did Obama say that children born prematurely can be legally killed." -
The #MarchforLife next to the @uscapitol. twitter.com/PrayforCongres…
— Pray for Congress (@PrayforCongress) January 25, 2013 -
March for Life has reached the steps of the Supreme Court:
#marchforlife reaches the SCOTUS twitter.com/delohouse/stat…
— Dennis Lohouse (@delohouse) January 25, 2013 -
The theme of this year's March for Life was "40=55M," which stands for the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the 55 million abortions that have happened since the Supreme Court case.
