American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Arriving by the busloads, thousands of anti-abortion protesters rallied in the U.S. capital Friday with a growing sense of optimism that their goal was finally in reach: a sweeping rollback of abortion rights.
The March for Life, for decades an annual protest against abortion, was held as the Supreme Court has indicated it will allow states to impose tighter restrictions on abortion with a ruling in the coming months -- and possibly overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that affirmed the constitutional right to an abortion.
"It doesn't feel real. There's so much hope and vibrancy and happiness and joy at this thing," said Jordan Moorman of Cincinnati. "I really do believe that we're in a post-Roe generation."
The rally, held on the anniversary of the Roe decision, is taking place amid a COVID-19 surge that limited turnout at the National Mall. Some abortion opponents posted on the event's Facebook page that they will not attend because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates for people going to restaurants and other places in the District of Columbia.
Still, the rally drew a crowd of thousands on a sunny but frigid day, with a heavy contingent of young people and students bussed in by schools and church groups. The mood was overwhelmingly optimistic, with many treating the end of Roe v Wade as an inevitability.
"Hopefully this will be the last March for Life," said Father Andrew Rudmann, a Catholic priest from New Orleans, who was attending his 11th event.
Rudmann said previous marches may have had larger crowds but he doesn't recall this level of optimism. He said the crowds grew "gigantic" under former President Donald Trump and the movement's enthusiasm grew with each Trump Supreme Court appointee. He proudly pointed out that his home Archdiocese of New Orleans includes the Catholic high school that educated Trump's last appointee, Supreme Court Justice Amy Comey Barrett.
"Sometimes I would come to the March and it would be great to be united with people who share my beliefs, but there would also be this heaviness," he said. "This time the whole language and vibe is different."
Abortion rights groups worry that at least 26 states are in line to further limit abortion access if Roe is weakened or overturned. In December, the court indicated in a major case that it would uphold a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and allow states to ban abortion even earlier. The Mississippi case directly challenges Roe.
Courts have also dealt Texas abortion providers a string of defeats over efforts to block a law that since September has banned abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant. Another loss for Texas clinics came Thursday, when the Supreme Court refused to speed up the ongoing challenge over the law, which providers say is now likely to stay in effect for the foreseeable future.
"This law is cruel and unconstitutional, and I am deeply disappointed that our judicial system has done very little to stop it," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Woman's Health, which operates four abortion clinics in Texas.
Lawmakers from both parties weighed in Friday to note the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and reflect on the shifting political landscape surrounding abortion.
"It has been an eye-opening year for the cause of life in America, and we have made significant progress in defending our youngest and most vulnerable," said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House.
"The stakes are higher than ever, with the health and autonomy of women and families across the country hanging in the balance as Republicans work to methodically challenge and overturn Roe," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. "It's time to sound the alarm and make clear: decisions about our bodies, our health care and our future belong to us."
Mississippi state Sen. Joey Fillingane, a Republican who pushed for the state's strict abortion laws, said he is not able to attend the March For Life in Washington but is pleased that he and two GOP colleagues will be recognized there. Mississippi has just one abortion clinic, and Fillingane said the state should next target access to abortion-inducing medication.
If Roe were nullified, Fillingane said he expects states to take different approaches to setting their own abortion laws.
"I think that's the way it should be," he said. "The laws in California, based on their population and what they want, may be very different than the laws in Mississippi based on what our population feels about the issue of life."
------
Staff writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report. Weber reported from Austin, Texas. Pettus reported from Jackson, Mississippi.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.