Abortion Demonstrators Are Aging Out

New generation less passionate, more tuned into technology
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 22, 2010 10:48 AM CST
Abortion Demonstrators Are Aging Out
With the Capitol in the background, abortion opponents march to the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, to mark the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade march for Life.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Don’t expect to see a lot of fresh young faces out to protest—or defend—Roe v. Wade today. It’s the 37th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, and as usual there will be demonstrations for and against abortion rights in Washington, but the demonstrators aren’t getting any younger, Newsweek reports. The marching route is shorter because, a police planner says, “the organizers are getting older, and it’s more difficult for them to walk a long distance.”

The anti-abortion crowd does expect a surge of young people this year, because Washington’s Catholic Archdiocese is sponsoring a youth rally. But most young people are less passionate about the issue than their elders because they don’t have personal experience with it, says one feminist historian, and even true believers are more likely to stay home and blog about it. “They don’t have any reason to believe that it matters if they go out and protest.” (More abortion stories.)

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