Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Statehouse courtyard annex in Trenton Monday to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, 45 years ago.

The rally organized by the New Jersey Right to Life group was held three days after the nationwide anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C., which included a visit and speech from President Donald Trump.

Leaders, elected officials, and clergy aligned with the anti-abortion movement addressed the crowd as they held signs distributed by the organization.

Father Peter West, an associate pastor at St. John’s Catholic Church in Orange, kicked off the rally with a prayer.

Marie Tasy, New Jersey Right to Life, executive director, praised Trump and former Gov. Chris Christie for their support of the movement. Tasy pointed out that Christie was the state’s first anti-abortion governor.

“We will work to make sure that he won’t be our last,” she said.

The theme of the march this year was ‘Love Saves Lives.’

“Ours is a movement of love and hope,” she said. “It’s why we continue to call for the overturning of this tragic decision.”

Patti Sapone may be reached at psapone@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram @psapo, Twitter @psapone.  Find NJ.com on Facebook.