Protesters from across the state — from Anacortes to Pasco to Vancouver — took to the Capitol steps Tuesday for the 33rd March for Life, an annual rally against abortion rights.

Washington’s March for Life president Noreen McEntee-Hobson said that about 10,000 attended this year’s march, but Sgt. J.J. Gundermann of the Washington State Patrol made a “very broad estimate” of 4,000.

Though she noted that the majority of attendees came from Catholic parishes and schools from around the state, McEntee-Hobson encouraged non-Catholics to stand with them, calling the anti-abortion movement an “ecumenical” cause, applicable to any faith system.

“We’ve been coming every year, and it’s growing,” said Sister Mary Matthew, an Anacortes resident and member of the Congregation of St. Joseph of Peace. “More and more people are realizing how important life is.”

McEntee-Hobson called Washington “the worst [state] for pro-life,” saying that the state had the most liberal abortion laws in the country.

“We are not doing a good job of letting our legislators know that this cannot continue,” McEntee-Hobson told the crowd. “Go tell your legislators that we don’t want this anymore, and if they aren’t listening, find someone to run, or run yourself.”

Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, noted at the march that national attitudes toward abortion seemed to have shifted during the past decade, claiming that the number of Americans who self-identified as “pro-life” had increased from 36 percent in 1995 to 51 percent today.

“Our message is being heard,” Hinkle said. “If we can’t protect the most vulnerable people in society … then it’s a sad commentary on who we are as a people.”

Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, told attendees that “we do have a choice because we control the budget.… Tell your legislators that we shouldn’t be letting criminals run free to solve our budget problems — we should be defunding abortion clinics.”

More than a dozen other legislators attended and spoke at the rally, including Rep. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake), Sen. Jim Hargrove (D-Hoquiam) and Rep. Vincent Buys (R-Lynden).

Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, gave a welcome to the audience, reciting several Biblical verses before leading the audience in a rendition of “God Bless America.”

“Last year we told all those people across the way that we love them,” Klippert said, referring to a smattering of pro-choice protesters standing at the Temple of Justice across the street. “I wanted them to know that I care about them.”

About a dozen high school and college students from Olympia and the surrounding area came to the counter-protest.

At least two legislators promised to introduce legislation to reduce abortions in Washington. Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, announced a bill that would require parental notification of abortions administered to minors. The bill, HB 1442, has 11 co-sponsors.

Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, said she would introduce a bill to cut state funding for all abortions except in cases of sex crimes or endangerment to the mother’s life.

“You should not have to pay for what you don’t believe in,” Stevens told a cheering crowd. “You should not have to pay for the killing of children that might someday be a legislator.”

Pat Albright, spokeswoman for the Senate Republican Caucus, said that the bill proposes cutting state funding for state family planning services in certain insurance plans that would otherwise fund abortion. The funds — about $7.5 million per year — are meant to be diverted to other social services such as the Basic Health Cap.

The bill, SB 5336, has 14 co-sponsors.

Jennifer Allen, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Votes! Washington, said that Stevens’s bill would contradict the will of the people, citing Initiative 120, which was voted into law in 1991. The initiative made national abortion rights part of state law in case Roe v. Wade is overturned. SB 5336 would amend that portion of the law to prohibit state funds from being used for abortions.

“The law … says that if [a woman is] eligible for public pregnancy care, she should also be eligible for publicly funded abortion because her choices should not be limited by her income level,” Allen said. “A woman should not be forced to carry a pregnancy to term because she is poor. It’s a simple issue of fairness.”

McEntee-Hobson acknowledged that legislators were most likely to focus on solving the budget crisis this session, but also called the current economic situation an opportunity for anti-abortion legislation. In particular she called for the defunding of the state’s Take Charge program, which provides contraceptive resources to low-income women.

“It was said (that Take Charge) would reduce the number of abortions the state is paying for,” McEntee-Hobson said. “That has not been the case. … (Gov. Christine Gregoire) cut a lot of services well-favored by both Republicans and Democrats that helped provide services for children, for the elderly … Take Charge got renewed, even though it’s not doing the job we thought it would.”

Jim Stevenson, communications director for the state’s Medicaid program, said that the program was intended to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies in Washington. “I think in general one of the objects of family planning is to reduce the number of abortions as well as the number of unintended births,” he said.

According to the state Department of Health, there were 22,642 abortions performed in Washington in 2009 — a 13 percent decline from 10 years before. Out of the total, 12,981 abortions were covered by Medicaid, costing the state $7,230,297.

<a href="http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1442&year=2011" title="HB 1442 – 2011-12

” target=”blank”>HB 1442: This bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley), would require the state to notify the parents or legal guardians of minors seeking an abortion. However, it does not require that the parents or guardians give consent for the procedure.

SB 5336: This bill, sponsored by Sen. Val Stevens (R-Arlington), would prohibit the state from using public funds to pay for abortions under state health programs like Medicaid except in cases of sexual assault or endangerment to the life of either the mother or child.

To view a video clip of the March for Life, connect to www.youtube.com.