Several thousand people including Orthodox priests have marched through the Romanian capital and other cities to express their opposition to abortion and their support for family life.

Members of anti-abortion groups gathered in a park in southern Bucharest on Saturday and marched, shouting slogans such as "Life!" They handed out colored balloons carrying messages such as "Every child is an angel coming into the world," and "Women deserve more than abortion."

The ProVita Foundation says about 210 abortions are carried out every day in Romania. Abortions are legal up to 14 weeks.

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Former Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu outlawed abortion and birth control in 1968 in a bid to boost Romania's population. Abortion was legalized in 1990 after his ouster and execution in 1989.