Dallas, TX (LifeNews.com) -- Hundreds of leaders of pregnancy centers will participate in a march to commemorate last year's Supreme Court ruling that declared a national partial-birth abortion ban constitutional. Attendees at the Heartbeat International conference will march to the Dallas courthouse where Roe v. Wade was initially argued.

The leaders of the pregnancy centers will join with officials from the Justice Foundation, a pro-life law firm, and Operation Outcry, a post-abortion group.

Together, they will mark the first anniversary of the Gonzales v. Carhart decision upholding the Congressional partial-birth abortion ban.

Close to 700 pro-life pregnancy center leaders from the U.S. and 14 other countries are participating in the 2008 Annual Heartbeat International Conference.

The centers provide tangible help for pregnant women in unexpected pregnancies and hope and healing for those who have suffered from abortion.

Heartbeat International President Peggy Hartshorn, Ph.D, tells LifeNews.com, "Thousands of pregnancy centers around the world are providing positive choices for women faced with an untimely pregnancy."

"The women we see in our pregnancy centers are open to new life when hope is offered," she said.

Hartshorn said pregnancy centers are needed to help women see viable alternatives other than abortion -- the only choice presented at most abortion facilities.

"Often, women tell us they were encouraged to abort, persuaded that abortion is a good choice without being informed about life-saving options," she told LifeNews.com.

"These same women tell us they would have rejected abortion had they known the truth and been encouraged to choose life," she added. "America can do better than abortion."

More than 30 pro-life leaders from Canada, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, Nepal, Serbia, Russia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also attending the conference.

Heartbeat International is an interdenominational Christian association of 1,070 pregnancy resource centers and post-abortion groups in 48 states and 42 countries.

Related web sites:
Heartbeat International - http://www.heartbeatinternational.org
Pregnancy Help - http://www.pregnancycenters.org