文章基本信息

标题：Spokane lawmakers help rally anti-abortion protesters
作者：Cynthia Jones Staff writer
期刊名称：Spokesman Review, The (Spokane)
出版年度：2001
卷号：Jan 19, 2001
出版社：Cowles Publishing Co.

Spokane lawmakers help rally anti-abortion protesters

Cynthia Jones Staff writer

More than 2,000 anti-abortion protesters waved placards, sang "God Bless America" and marched onto the Capitol steps Thursday to listen to speeches from legislators.

Of the lawmakers who addressed the annual demonstration, nearly half were from the Spokane area.

Rep. Brad Benson, R-Spokane, compared the protesters to pre-Civil War abolitionists and 20th-century civil rights workers.

"One day, abortion will seem as foreign to the concept of the American way of life as slavery seems today," he said to the cheering crowd.

As Benson continued, a handful of abortion-rights supporters marched in the street behind him, waving signs with the words, "Against Abortion? Don't Have One, It's About Choice."

They were countered by placards proclaiming "Stop Abortion Now," and "We Vote Pro-Life."

Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane, told the crowd that the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion was "without a doubt the worst decision that ever came down the pike since the Dred Scott decision of 1857," which stated black slaves could not sue for their freedom.

Afterward, Ahern said there was no legislation that would end abortion now, but added, "persistence pays off."

Some anti-abortion bills probably will be introduced this year. But the makeup of the Legislature, combined with Gov. Gary Locke's support of abortion rights, means it will be difficult to get any law passed and signed, said Sen. Larry Sheahan, R-Spokane.

Sheahan asked the rally participants to pray for John Ashcroft, the conservative nominee for U.S. attorney general.

"He's going through the meat grinder right now in Washington, D.C.," Sheahan said.

This was the 23rd Olympia rally organized by the state March for Life group. Sheahan, who has spoken at the last nine, said this rally was larger than usual and credited the turnout to enthusiasm for President-elect Bush.

When Rep. Lynn Schindler, R-Spokane Valley, spoke to the placard- waving crowd, she simply said, "Don't get discouraged, because we are in God's army."