Tuesday marked the 40-year anniversary since the United States Supreme Court decided all citizens have a right to an abortion in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. While the decision has long passed, the debate continues to rage on.

For the ninth straight year, Walk for Life West Coast will use the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to protest the ruling and “To inform society of the damage done to women by abortion.”

Walk for Life West Coast’s goal for the demonstration is simply stated by co-founder of the Walk for Life West Coast, Dolores Meehan: “Our hope is a continued outreach to women and men who are hurting from their abortion and to raise awareness that abortion hurts women, men and children.”

One of the many things Walk for Life West Coast has planned is a message from Pope Benedict XVI, through Apostolic Nuncio (permanent diplomatic representative) to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.

Along with the Archbishop, actress Jennifer O’Neill, Reverend Clenard Childress, among others, will be speaking at the event.

“If only one person were to choose life instead of abortion, it all would be worth it,” said Meehan, who believes deeply in her cause. “The increasing number of young people who attend the Walk for Life give us great hope that one day the scourge of abortion will neither be needed nor sought in our great country.”

But Walk For Life West Coast will not go on unopposed, as Radical Women, a socialist feminist organization dedicated to achieving the full equality of women, is planning a counter protest at the Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco on Saturday, January 26.

“We, in Radical Women, feel when the right wing comes to town or when they are embolden in some way it is important to confront them.” said Amy Gray-Schlink, a 15-year member of the group. “We are going to have a bold and militant counter demonstration while stating that the right wing is not welcome here.”

Though small, Gray-Schlink believes the militant group to which she belongs to has made a difference: “I believe it has kept their presence in check to a large degree.”

While she thinks picketing and counter demonstrations are effective, she also believes debates are necessary. Though this Saturday is different: “On this day we are there to say they aren’t welcome.”

When asked about Radical Women’s counter-demonstration and how her group would respond, Meehan stated, “The same way we respond every year – we peacefully continue on our way and don’t engage in provocative exchanges.”

Nancy Kato, a Radical Women group member, believes that in the 40 years since Roe v. Wade, feminism has become engraved in American society and that young women today truly believe they can be anything they want to be.

Yet in terms of actual access to abortion, Kato believes things have deteriorated.

“We’ve gone backwards,” said Kato, who thinks it is imperative to protest for abortion rights. “When [Roe v. Wade] was first passed, poor women could actually get an abortion through federal funding.”

“Women are dying because they don’t have access to abortion … when you are backed into a corner, the only way out is a fight, and that’s the bottom line.”

In response to this comment, Meehan felt very differently.

“The claim that women are dying because they don’t have access to abortion is a provocative battle cry but a flawed premise,” said Meehan. “No women whose life is endangered should be anywhere but a critical care unit in a hospital, certainly not an abortion clinic.”

Meehan believes things have certainly become much worse since the landmark Roe v. Wade case.

“I’d say things have become much worse,” said Meehan. “Abortion is the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in the fabric of a family and if you consider how many of our social ills can be tied back to the breakdown of the family. I’d say we are worse off than we were 40 years ago.”

With both sides entrenched in their beliefs on abortion, both pro-life and pro-choice groups are set to clash in San Francisco on Saturday.