WASHINGTON — As hundreds of thousands of women prepared to join the pro-abortion “March for Women's Lives” in Washington, D.C., Terri White began to receive more attention than she's used to.

Three newspapers printed her story (including the Register — see page 17). White had an abortion and has suffered ever since.

“Though there are activists who will march on April 25 and believe they represent all the women of America, I would like to share my personal experience of the harm that abortion has done in my life,” she told the newspapers, and they listened.

Such attention to a woman who regrets her abortion would have been more unusual 10 or 20 years ago. But times are changing. Now, a majority of Americans believe abortion is wrong. And organizers of the march felt the need to sweeten their invitations to marchers by stressing that abortion was just one of the things they were marching for.

The march was co-sponsored by the National Organization for Women, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Feminist Majority Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union. Organizers estimated that more than 1 million people marched, though several D.C. police officers estimated it was probably half that amount. CNN reported only about 250,000. The district and the National Park Service no longer issue official estimates of attendance at rallies and marches.

No matter how many people turned out, a recent poll by Zogby International suggests the sentiments of march organizers are not quite in line with the beliefs of most Americans. The survey, released April 23 by the National Right to Life Committee, showed that 56% of Americans agree with one of the following views: that abortion should never be legal (18%), legal only when the life of the mother is in danger (15%), legal for any reason during the first six months (4%) or legal for any reason at any time during the woman's pregnancy (13%).

Most speakers at the march framed participants' concerns in the language of war and injustice: Bush's “war on choice,” women in the United States as “oppressed” — or about to be.

The pro-abortion march boasted a celebrity-packed lineup, which included Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, Camryn Manheim, Ashley Judd and Ted Turner.

Not on hand was actress Patricia Heaton, co-star of CBS' “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Heaton, who serves as honorary chair of Feminists for Life, said in a statement, “I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological. In reality, most women ‘choose’ abortion because they believe they have no other choice.”

Frances Kissling's pro-abortion organization was given a highly visible presence in the march program. Kissling calls her organization “Catholic for a Free Choice,” even though U.S. Catholic bishops have disavowed the organization. During her speech at the event, Kissling called Pope John Paul II “the worst enemy of choice.”

But abortion advocates weren't the only ones on the Mall.

Despite a court denial of their counter-protest permits, Silent No More, a group formed by the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life and Priests for Life, peacefully and prayerfully gathered around the perimeter of the march under another group's permit.

Though about 500 post-abortive women, men and college students joined the pro-life prayer link, the group actually discouraged too many people from joining them for the day, wanting to keep a kind of quality control over their role during the day.

“All we want to do is assemble and pray for these women,” said Janet Morana, associate director of Priests for Life.

One of the women gathered with Silent No More, Lynn Hurley, had an abortion in 1971 when she was in college. She knows the pain of abortion and said, “I hurt for the [women marching] who hurt, who have been through abortions themselves. They're probably in denial.”

“I'm hoping women might see our signs and be touched by them,” she said.

On the day before the march, pro-life college students attended a symposium on George Washington University's campus featuring Cathleen Cleaver Ruse of the Catholic bishops' pro-life office and Sally Winn, vice president of Feminists for Life of America, among others.

The event was co-sponsored by Collegians for Life and Feminists for Life.

“Though I'm disheartened that little children have abortion stickers on their shirts, I am relieved that at least their parents did choose life,” said Erin Galloway, co-director of the Symposium on Women. “But what do those pro-choice parents offer other mothers? It's sad that in America today's children have to worry about their parents' ‘choices.’ At least 25% of my generation didn't survive Roe v. Wade.”

Kathryn Jean Lopez is editor of www.nationalreview.com