(22 Jan 1998) English/Nat
Thousands of U-S anti-abortion campaigners marched to the Supreme Court on Thursday as part of their annual protest.
It's been a quarter-century since the nation's highest court made a landmark judgement saying a woman's access to abortion was covered by the constitutional right to privacy - a ruling which has been publicly backed by U-S President Bill Clinton.
Since the original ruling, the anti-abortion lobby have campaigned continuously on an issue which has always divided American public opinion.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"On January 22, we marked the 25th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that affirmed very woman's right to choose whether and when to have a child, and in doing so, affirmed two of our nation's most deeply-held values, personal privacy and family responsibility. Over the past 25 years, Roe v. Wade has had a major positive impact on the health and well-being of American women and their families. Safe, legal abortion has all but eliminated the dangerous, clandestine conditions that claim too many women's lives when the procedure was illegal."
SUPER CAPTION: U-S President, Bill Clinton
For two and a half decades, the Roe versus Wade decision has divided America.
On Thursday - the 25th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling - Bill Clinton's message was this: he supports a woman's right to choose.
But tens of thousands of abortion opponents marked the 25th anniversary of legalised abortion with a march.
Many were veterans of the event which has happened every year since the law was introduced.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I came to the first one. I wasn't a priest then I was working here in Washington and I thought, should I go or shouldn't I and I thought, well, if they could lift protection fro a pre-born child they could lift if for a person with brown hair so I decide I better go and I've come back for twenty years since and I'll continue to come back.
SUPER CAPTION: Father John Sedlak, anti-abortion protestor
More than 16-hundred people travelled from Missouri and Southern Illinois for a day of candlelight vigils, lunches and noisy demonstrations.
The anti-abortion group walked to the Supreme Court chanting and carrying placards as they have every year since the ruling on the Roe versus Wade case.
Many parents brought their children along for the march.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"My oldest daughter is six and she completely understands what abortion is. I've taught her that babies are killed, that mothers kill their children."
SUPER CAPTION: Kara Axelsen, anti-abortion protestor
Not far away, a much smaller group held a rally in support of abortion or a woman's right to choose.
The two sides were kept apart by police but plenty of words were exchanged.
There was no violence and police did not make any arrests.
The small pro-abortion rally ended as the march left the area.
Supporters said that although they were outnumbered they did not feel defeated.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The message is this is the 25th anniversary of Roe V Wade and we're here to say that they - the people who want to take away abortion rights - they can't have our day or our lives. We didn't expect to outnumber the antis. But what we do expect to do is get out a strong pro-choice message and say we're going to have to turn this situation around. We're trying to reverse the momentum. We're going to go on the political offensive and we are not going to let them continue to take away our right to abortion because without abortion women can't be free."
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