Well, the NYT has upgraded us from "dozens" to "tens of thousands," at least

Three days after the 40th anniversary of the decision in Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion, tens of thousands of abortion opponents from around the country came to the National Mall on Friday for the annual March for Life rally, which culminated in a demonstration in front of the Supreme Court building.

*sigh*

Well, in the past, the New York Times used to use the terms "dozens," so it is an improvement.  The fact is, hundreds of thousands - about half a million - came to march for life last Friday.  I know.  I was there.  With my camera.

You can see my photo set here.

It was not comfortable.  The wind picked up and the temperatures dropped - it remained in the 20's throughout the day - as the snow came in.  I was with the group from the Diocese of Knoxville, and I saw colleges and schools and parishes from around the nation, even the western states, and Canada.

And . . . youth.  Sorry, pro-choicers, the next generation of pro-lifers is large and young and loud.  Consider that the president of NARAL, Nancy Keenan, stepped down earlier this year:

In recent years, Keenan has worried about an “intensity gap” on abortion rights among millennials, which the group considers to be the generation of Americans born between 1980 and 1991. While most young, antiabortion voters see abortion as a crucial political issue, NARAL’s own internal research does not find similar passion among abortion-rights supporters. If the pro-choice movement is to successfully defend abortion rights, Keenan contends, it needs more young people in leadership roles, including hers.

Perhaps it is because now with 40 years behind it, people can see that Roe v. Wade's legacy has been more than dead children.  And Keenan knows she is in a losing battle.

Mississippi may once again become a cradle of civil rights in this regard:

The last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi, the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has received notice from the Health Department that it intends to revoke the clinic’s operating license after an inspection found that it is has not complied with a state law that requires that all abortionists maintain local hospital privileges.

Jeanne Monahan, who now heads the March for Life after the death earlier this year of its founder, Nellie Gray, said, "We [in the pro-life movement] are working to put ourselves out of a job."  The fight must continue until this human rights violation is gone.

At the "Life is Very Good" rally (see photos of that here) that was held before the march (and the Diocese of Arlington did a splendid job with hosting it), pro-life activist Elizabeth McClung reminded the young people of Senator Henry Hyde's argument when passing the Hyde Amendment:

Elizabeth McClung

When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God -- and a terror will rip your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there'll be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world -- and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, 'Spare him, because he loved us!'