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The event usually draws about 10 times that many to Olympia from across the state, but inclement weather might have kept many away this year.
Meg Collier of Bremerton said her church – Our Lady Star of the Sea – planned to send four buses, but instead sent two after some people canceled due to the snow.
“We’ve been coming for the last 30-something years,” Collier said at the rally. “If the issue is important enough, the weather isn’t going to impact us any.”
Organizers disputed the official crowd count, issuing a statement after the event claiming that thousands had gathered on the Capitol steps.
The snow and ice did make for a longer drive than usual for some. The drive to Olympia from Auburn usually takes Thuy Nguyen’s family 45 minutes. On Tuesday, it was a 90-minute trip.
“It’s special today, because we’re all here as a family,” said Nguyen, who attended the rally with her husband and eight children. “We chose life, and we’re a walking witness.”
Several current measures related to abortion were topics at the rally. Speakers protested the Reproductive Parity Act, which would require health plans in Washington that cover maternity care to offer equal coverage for abortion as they implement health care reform.
Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane, spoke to the crowd in support of his proposal to require a woman to view an ultrasound before consenting to an abortion. He also has sponsored a measure that would declare the right to life as beginning at conception.
“We always plan this rally separate from any legislation being presented, but it’s a great opportunity for us to let people know that that’s what they should be talking to their legislators about,” said Noreen McEntee Hobson, president of the Washington State March for Life.
Each year, the March for Life is scheduled close to the Jan. 22 anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which said unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion was unconstitutional.
McEntee Hobson said this is the first year she’s aware of that abortion-rights supporters haven’t held a counter-demonstration. Last year, a small group protested across the lawn from the March for Life rally.
Alexis Krell: 360-943-7123
alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
