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Unhappy anniversary for pro-lifers photo by Bob Pennell Participants in a rally against abortion bow their heads in prayer under cover of umbrellas Saturday. The rally on the steps of the Jackson County Justice Building marked the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. Dozens gather in rain, 26 years after Roe ruling By Alberto Enriquez A rally against abortion drew more than 80 men, women and children out in a cold rain Friday to the steps of the Jackson County Justice Building in Medford. The protest marked the 26th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. "I come out here every year to show my support for the fight against abortion," said Rebekah Gurney, of Gold Hill. Gurney was busy painting the faces of children participating in the rally. Although the face paint was free on Friday, Gurney said she painted faces for hire at the county fair each year to raise funds for the cause. Protest organizer Brian Platt, president of Jackson County Right to Life, told the assembled that November elections had bolstered the cause in Oregon. Of a dozen legislators supported by the movement, all were elected, Platt said. In private comments, Platt said abortion opponents had reason for optimism 26 years after Roe v. Wade. "It has to be won," Platt said. "There isn't a single person here saying, `I'm getting tired of the right-to-life movement.' There's no defeatism. Once the light turns on for people that that's a baby, people realize then that all the cliche arguments about `It's a choice every mother has to make,' or quality of life, that they don't make sense." Platt said less than 2 percent of abortions are the result of incest or rape, but he personally believes abortion is wrong under any circumstance other than to save the life of the mother. "But let's take care of the 98 percent, and then talk about the others," Platt said. "The (unborn) child is the innocent victim of incest or rape." Gurney echoed those sentiments, saying incest or rape were no reason to abort: "The worst thing that can happen to the mother is to kill her baby." Standing in the steady rain, the protesters were moved to cheer and call out "amen" when the Rev. Dan Farrell, of the Greater Rogue Valley Church, shouted, "God says it is wrong!" Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA