Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Credit: Sharkpixs/ZUMApress/Newscom)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Credit: Sharkpixs/ZUMApress/Newscom)

Hundreds of thousands of people will make their way to nation’s capital for the 41st annual March for Life this week. New Yorkers plan to use the occasion to criticize Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), whose controversial comments about pro-lifers have set off a firestorm.

Last week, Cuomo attacked “extreme conservatives” as people “who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay.” Then, he added, “[I]f that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

Now, with a major pro-life event happening this week, The Buffalo News reports that Cuomo could be the center of attention at Wednesday’s rally.

“I am guessing that Andrew Cuomo’s remarks are going to be repeated by every speaker on the platform,” Stasia Zoladz Vogel, president of the Buffalo Regional Right to Life Committee, told the newspaper. “Everyone will know how much Andrew loves his constituents.”

Cuomo’s aides said the governor wasn’t talking about constituents; his comments were instead directed at Republican candidates. That hasn’t stopped some critics from calling on Cuomo to resign.

Wednesday’s March for Life is expected to draw upwards of 200,000 attendees. This year’s event comes amid important cases before the U.S. Supreme Court — and now Cuomo’s controversial comments.

Heritage President Jim DeMint, in a video for the March for Life, delivered a sobering message about the cost of abortion — and the challenges the pro-life movement faces today.

More than 55 million children — 3,000 every day — have lost their lives, and many of these mothers-to-be have been scarred for life. We’ll never know how many Einsteins, Martin Luther Kings, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs were lost and never had a chance to change this world for the better.

DeMint cited Obamacare as a major threat because it forces charities and family businesses to cover abortion-inducing drugs as part of their health plans.