(Evansville, IN) -- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Republican National Convention Chairman Michael Steele spoke at an anti-abortion dinner in Evansville, Indiana Thursday night.

Pro-life groups and Republican politicians filled the Evansville Auditorium and Convention Center to capacity for the Vanderburgh County Right to Life's annual fundraising banquet.

Palin came out loudly against abortion while she was the Republican vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election.

At the banquet, she spoke about her then-17-year-old daughter's controversial pregnancy, which gained national attention almost immediately after former GOP presidential hopeful John McCain named Palin as his running mate.

She also shared the personal struggles she faced when pregnant with her youngest son, Trig, who has Down syndrome.

Palin told the crowd her troubles help her relate to others who would consider getting an abortion, saying, quote, "For a fleeting moment, I saw how people could just want it all to go away.

I do understand what these women and girls go through."

(Copyright 2009 by Newsroom Solutions)