What they don't expect is the joy. As they have every year since 1973, tens of thousands of pro-life advocates gathered in Washington for the March for Life on Jan. 22 to mourn the court case that led to 45 million legal abortions.

Tom Reuwer, a TV weatherman from Harrisburg, Pa., who brought his 4-year-old daughter, Keely, told the Associated Press, “I think there is a real turn in the tide on this issue. I think there's more people who are anti-abortion than pro-abortion.”

President Bush addressed the crowd — not in person, but by remote — just before the march began.

“During the past three years we've made real progress toward building a culture of life in America,” Bush said.

He touted some of the pro-life accomplishments of his administration, including the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, the partial-birth abortion ban, and a ban on overseas abortion funding.

“I know as you return to your communities you will redouble your efforts to change hearts and minds, one person at a time,” said Bush. “And this is the way we will build a lasting culture of life, a compassionate society in which every child is born into a loving family and protected by law.”

Many in the sea of pro-life people walking to the Supreme Court were in college or high school, giving longtime pro-life advocates hope for the future.

(Lifesite.com contributed to this report)