Though Sunday marked the 39th anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict, many Americans still protest the controversial decision to legalize abortion.
The national March for Life will take place today in Washington, D.C., but thousands gathered in downtown Baton Rouge on Saturday for the Louisiana Life March in early observance of the verdict’s anniversary.
“This is not an old movement,” said Annette Denton, philosophy senior and member of Louisiana Students for Life. “We’re here to show that college students support the pro-life movement.”
Roe v. Wade saw the Supreme Court rule in favor of a woman’s right to choose abortion up to a point of viability when an unborn child can survive independent of its mother’s womb.
“Once you recognize that life begins at conception, you have a duty to respect it,” said Joni Emmons, English and philosophy senior and Students for Life president.
Emmons, Denton and fellow college students marched down a crowded Fourth Street with thousands of pro-life advocates. Protestors carried numerous signs with proclamations like “Stop unborn pain” and “Life is the inalienable right.”
Opposition to the pro-life movement has been strong in the U.S., but counter-protestors at Saturday’s march were scarce.
Baton Rouge resident Lori Halvorson and two other women stood along the marchers’ route, holding signs advocating a pro-choice agenda and women’s rights.
“We deserve a voice,” Halvorson said. “We represent the other side of the debate in Louisiana.”
Melissa Reilly, another counter-protestor, sported a button depicting a coat hanger, representing the dangerous methods women might turn to if abortions were outlawed.
“Unwanted pregnancies will occur in Louisiana, and women should have a choice. If men could get pregnant, this wouldn’t be an issue,” Reilly said.
Halvorson said it was important to show support for women in Louisiana who are considering abortion.
Marchers passing by Reilly and Halvorson remained calm as some uttered a few words to the women.
“Interesting that everyone who is for abortion is already born,” one man said in passing.
The march ended at the steps of the State Capitol, where Benjamin Clapper of Louisiana Right to Life, addressed the crowd.
“Our coalition is a model for the rest of country,” Clapper said.
 
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, an outspoken pro-life advocate, told the crowd he attends the Louisiana march yearly because he is encouraged by the overwhelming support for the pro-life movement.
Vitter recognized young people who have become part of the movement, telling them they have already “changed hearts and minds.”
“I am confident we will be successful,” he said.
Many students with Christ the King Catholic Student Center traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the national march today. On average, the march attracts enormous numbers of pro-life supporters, numbering in the hundred-thousands throughout past years.
Olivia March, sports administration sophomore who protested Roe v. Wade on Saturday, said the movement is important for college students because they are beginning to vote for the first time.
March said it’s key not for only college students but all humans to “stand up for life.”
“This goes beyond religion. It’s life,” she said.
 
—-
Contact Brian Sibille at [email protected]