Republican leaders praise March for Life demonstrators, criticize president

House Republican leaders on Friday praised March for Life demonstrators and criticized President Barack Obama for attempting to undo many of the anti-abortion-rights policies the Bush administration put in place.

The march, which coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark abortion ruling in Roe v. Wade, drew thousands to Washington physically on Friday — and a handful of others digitally, through the Americans United for Life's "virtual march" on its website.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) issued a statement on Friday thanking those marchers for their work. He later hammered the president for reversing a number of anti-abortion-rights policies in his first days in office, against Republicans' stated wishes.

“House Republicans sent President Obama a letter shortly after he took office urging him not to divide the country during a time of great challenges by pursuing an agenda that would expand abortion. Unfortunately, just days later, President Obama overturned the Mexico City Policy to allow federal funds to be given to international family planning organizations that also perform elective abortions," Boehner said.

"This was the first in a series of dangerous steps President Obama and Democrats in Congress have taken to unravel long-standing pro-life protections," he added.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor then charged in a separate statement that Obama and congressional Democrats continued "overturning state laws protecting life" through their healthcare bill.

"I hope that he reconsiders some of the controversial decisions pushed by his administration and the majority in Congress, including using taxpayer dollars to [fund] organizations that promote and provide abortions abroad, and attempting to allow federal funding of abortion on demand in our own country — in the name of healthcare reform," Cantor said.