Washington (AFP) - Thousands of anti-abortion activists attended an annual rally Friday with their hopes raised this year that the conservative-majority Supreme Court may be poised to overturn the ruling that legalized abortion in the United States 50 years ago.
"We are hoping and praying that this year 2022 will bring a historic change for life," said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, which has been held every year since the court handed down its landmark decision.
"Years of hard work and you coming here have brought us to this place," Mancini told the anti-abortion activists shivering on a bitterly cold day on the National Mall in Washington.
Despite the frigid temperatures the crowd was in a celebratory mood as they listened to speeches by anti-abortion movement leaders, religious figures and Republican lawmakers.
"In the coming months we anticipate a monumental decision from the Supreme Court," said Julia Letlow, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Louisiana.
Joseph Scordato, a 20-year-old from Wisconsin, attended the march dressed as a medieval knight and carrying a giant cross.
"This year is more of a celebration because we know that this year is the beginning of the end of abortion in America," he told AFP.
"The Future is Anti-Abortion," read signs carried by members of the crowd, who descended on the nation's capital from across the country.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on December 1 about a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks.
The court's conservative wing -- which includes three justices nominated by former president Donald Trump -- appears ready to uphold the Mississippi law and perhaps go further and overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion.
If Roe is overturned, each of the 50 US states could potentially set its own abortion laws.
Laws severely restricting abortion have been passed already in multiple Republican-led states, but have been struck down for violating Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, typically around 22 to 24 weeks.
'Light at the end of the tunnel'
March for Life participants said that if Roe is toppled, it will not end their anti-abortion efforts.
"We're still going to have work to do in each individual state and make sure that life is respected and protected everywhere," said Karlie Lodjic, 24, a member of "Students for Life" from Washington state.
Marsha Chamberlain, 72, from Pennsylvania, said she has been attending the march since 1985 and has only missed four.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel," Chamberlain said."It could be the last march and I pray that it is, that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Mississippi and that states can decide for themselves to protect unborn people."
Missy Martinez-Stone, 32, from Louisville, Kentucky, said she has been doing "pro-life work" for 17 years.
"I always imagined that I would see the end of Roe versus Wade but I didn't think it'd be so soon," Martinez-Stone said.
"But I know that that's not the end of it," she said."If it's overturned on a federal level, it's just going to go back to the states.And so we still have a lot of work to do."
Joshua Schulz, 42, from Pennsylvania, attended the march with three of his five children.
"I came here to stand in solidarity with other Americans who believe that all life is sacred," Schulz said, "and to pray for an end to the sin of abortion."
Following the speeches on the Mall, the protestors marched to the ornate Supreme Court building.
At one point, about two dozen members of a white nationalist group known as the Patriotic Front joined the march chanting "Strong families make strong nations."
Decision by June
Before hearing the Mississippi case, the Supreme Court declined on several recent occasions to block a Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know they are pregnant.
The court, which has six conservative justices and three liberals, is to render a decision in the Mississippi case by June.
Public opinion polls have found most Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
But a segment of the population, particularly on the religious right, has never accepted Roe v Wade and has campaigned to have it overturned.
