[JURIST] President Bush Monday celebrated his administration's anti-abortion record in a telephone address [text] to pro-life marchers demonstrating in Washington DC on the anniversary of the 1972 Roe v. Wade [opinion] US Supreme Court ruling. Bush told the gathering that "we're making progress":

We promoted adoption, support parental notification laws, ended federal funding for abortions overseas, and are funding crisis pregnancy programs. I had the privilege of signing legislation that extends legal protection to children who are born, despite abortion attempts, allows prosecutors to charge those who harm or kill a pregnant woman with harming or killing her unborn child, as well. I signed into law a ban on the cruel practice of partial-birth abortions, and we will vigorously defend that law in the courts.

The president also took the opportunity to speak out once more against embryonic stem cell research, citing his 2006 veto [JURIST report] of a bill that would have promoted that.

Earlier this month as part of the Democrats' "first 100 hours" initiative, the US House of Representatives passed a bill without a 2/3 majority [JURIST report] amending the Public Health Service Act [text] to allow for additional embryonic stem cell research. Bush has promised to veto that bill as well. AP has more.