OC Abortion Protesters Mark Roe Vs. Wade Anniversary
ORANGE (CBSLA.com) — Right-to-life activists Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision with a protest in Orange County.
Members of The Coalition to End Abortion said the demonstration outside a Planned Parenthood office at 700 South Tustin Ave. in Orange is part of a call for an end to "the legal killing of innocent human life."
Protesters holding pro-life signs lined the sidewalk in front of the office to mark 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 7-2 opinion in favor of legalizing abortion, in some circumstances up to the moment of birth.
The rallies come as Carol Tobias, head of the National Right to Life Committee, said her organization is fighting to bring the issue back to the Supreme Court.
"We would love to see this back in the Supreme Court," said Tobias. "I don't know that we would have the votes on the Court right now."
Pro-choice advocates also used the anniversary to defend a woman's constitutional right to abortion, including attorney Gloria Allred, who was expected to mark the day by donating blood at Kaiser Hospital near Vermont and Sunset in Los Angeles.
Allred, who was sexually assaulted and almost bled to death from an illegal abortion in the 1960's, said in a statement that she is concerned that "anti-abortion forces" could "make it more difficult for women to obtain safe, legal and available abortions."
In 2012, 19 states enacted 43 provisions limiting access to abortion, the second highest number in almost three decades.
