WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Vice President Mike Pence on Friday (Jan 27) told an annual anti-abortion rally in Washington that it was a "historic moment" for the movement.

"Life is winning again in America," said Pence, the first vice president to speak at the March for Life gathering.

"That is evident in the election of pro-life majorities in the Congress of the United States of America."

"We've come to a historic moment in the cause of life, and we must meet this moment with respect and compassion for every American," he said to a crowd of thousands gathered on the National Mall.

Pence, a former governor of Indiana, is a staunch conservative defender of traditional family values with strong anti-abortion views.