Last Updated Jan 19, 2018 12:45 PM EST
President Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made comments Friday via satellite from the White House Rose Garden to anti-abortion demonstrators who have descended on Washington, D.C., in the annual March for Life.
“As you all know, Roe vs. Wade has resulted in some of the most permissive abortion laws anywhere in the world,” Mr. Trump said, listing the U.S. along with China and North Korea in terms of its laws governing abortion.
“It is wrong. It has to change,” Mr. Trump continued. “Americans are more and more pro-life. You see that all the time.”
Meanwhile, a government shutdown is looking more and more likely. The Senate has until midnight to pass a short-term funding bill, while the House plans to leave Washington today. That means, the Senate — with most Democrats opposed to the funding measure — will need to pass the same legislation the House passed Thursday night, with no revisions. Democrats aren’t the only ones opposed. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, has also said he cannot support the short-term funding measure.
The annual March for Life, which began in 1974 — largely in response to the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade — attracts thousands of activists to the National Mall each year. The activists, many of them young, come from all over the country. This year, Mr. Trump is making his remarks via video conference. In the past, some Republican presidents have made remarks to the crowd by phone.
What time will Trump speak today?
When: Roughly 12:15 p.m.
Where: White House Rose Garden, via satellite
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