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Rally supports Roe v. Wade decision
Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Terri Ellen of Temple Beth Shalom lights a candle
during a rally for abortion advocates
celebrating the 29th anniversary of the
Roe v. Wade decision.
DAN DE
CARBONEL
Statesman Journal
January 23
A generation has
passed since the
United States
Supreme Court
legalized abortion in
all 50 states with
the Roe v. Wade
decision.
During a Tuesday
night candle-lighting
ceremony
celebrating the
decision’s 29th
anniversary, area
abortion advocates
urged others to come forward to ensure the ruling survives future challenges.
“What the Supreme Court giveth, the Supreme Court can taketh away,” said
Salem Mayor Mike Swaim, who took part in the event.
Erin Anderson, a National Abortion Rights Action League field representative,
previewed the new “Choice for America” advertising campaign, which uses
patriotic themes to stir support for reproductive rights.
“Under President Clinton, people felt reproductive rights were safe,” Anderson
said. “Now, they feel them eroding.”
About a mile away, about two dozen abortion protestors held a candlelight vigil
of their own outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Capitol Street NE.
A recent Gallup Poll of 1,015 adults conducted Jan. 7-9 found that 48 percent
are satisfied with the nation’s abortion policies and 43 percent are dissatisfied.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, so the result is a
statistical tie.
Nat Okey, president of Willamette University’s Students for Choice group, said
the issue is nearing a critical juncture as new legislative and legal challenges lie
ahead.
“We’re always playing defense,” he said. “But we do have the law on our side.”
After listening to speakers at Tuesday’s event talk about the possibility of
change, Linfield College student Katie Allstot said she feared the law would
change.
“I think there will always be contention on the issue,” she said. “An abortion is
not something I’d consider for myself, but it’s not something I’d want to let
someone else decide for me.”
Dan de Carbonel can be reached at (503) 399-6714.
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