Anti-abortion protesters attend annual ‘March for Life’ rally with goals in sight

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands of anti-abortion protesters marched through Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon for the annual March for Life.

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The march has taken place since 1974 when Roe v. Wade was decided, but it’s possible the 2022 rally could be the last if the U.S. Supreme Court ends up overturning the case.

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Anti-abortion rights advocates took to the streets of Washington D.C. in frigid temperatures calling for an end to the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

“I don’t see how you can think abortion is okay or right, because we believe that is a person. It’s a life,” protester Audrey Hendricks said.

Last month, the Supreme Court heard a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and are now weighting whether to keep the law in place.

If the justices overturn it, access to abortion would then be determined at the state level.

At least 21 states have laws ready to either restrict or ban abortion outright if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

12 more states have what’s known as “trigger laws” which would allow them to ban or nearly ban all abortions, effective immediately, if the federal law is changed.

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Abortion rights advocates say the government shouldn’t be involved at all.

“What they want to do with their bodies, it’s their business,” Abortion rights protester Shanay Watson-Whittaker said. “The government should stay out.”

Abortion rights advocates are calling for the justices to keep the federal protection in place.

“Much of the progress that women have made towards gender equality in the last 49 years was a direct result of access to legal abortion,” The Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement.

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Pro-choice groups are also calling on congress to pass a federal law that protects the right to abortion nationwide.

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