Local News in Brief : Orange : Vigil to Commemorate Key Abortion Ruling

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that 16 years ago struck down many state laws forbidding abortion will be commemorated next Sunday during a 30-minute vigil to be conducted by the National Organization for Women, north county chapter, and the Unitarian Church of Orange County in Anaheim.

Participants, each holding a candle, will gather at the corner of Glassell Street and Almond Avenue at 5 p.m., then march down an alley in memory of women who died from “back-alley” abortions before abortion laws were changed, organizers said.

Then a brief memorial service will be held, followed by a march around Orange Plaza at Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue.

Before the court’s 1973 decision, most states prohibited abortions unless there were special circumstances, such as a threat to the mother’s health or life.