Thousands of Pro-Life People Stand Against Abortion at Illinois March for Life
Thousands of pro-life advocates gathered at the Illinois State Capitol Building on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, for the Illinois March for Life. Civic and religious leaders addressed the crowd at the Lincoln Statue, some of whom echoed the Great Emancipator’s words as they appealed to Illinois lawmakers to protect women and children victimized by the abortion industry. . Immediately after the March, pro-life advocates met with state representatives and state senators to share how pregnancy resource centers offer tangible support to women through pregnancy tests , ultrasounds, cribs, car seats, parenting classes, and diapers.
The Most Reverend Thomas J. Paprocki, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, responded to Abraham Lincoln, as he spoke about abortion in the same words that Lincoln used to address slavery in 1868 Springfield.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” insisted Paprocki, “I believe that this government cannot endure, permanently half pro-abortion and half pro-life. I do not expect the Union to dissolve — I don’t expect the house to fall — but I do expect it to stop falling apart. It’s going to be something or everything else.”
Paprocki called for “Illinois executive, legislative and judicial members of the branches of our Illinois state government…to find compassion in the lives of the most vulnerable among us, the sacred human life of the unborn that baby.”
One of those Illinois legislators, the Honorable Dr. William E. Hauter, MD, Illinois State Representative, District 87 (R-Morton), spoke strongly about the choice. She shared how many in the Illinois state house seek to “silence and intimidate” pregnancy resource centers, the only places in Illinois where women are offered “real choices,” including material, emotional, and medical support. Hauter emphasized that this help is offered free of charge without spending a cent of taxpayer dollars and compared these care centers to abortion facilities that only give women the option of abort their child.
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Hauter lamented that Illinois’ goal seems to be to make abortion, “Common, celebrated, and less safe than ever.” Criticized the proposed Illinois Senate Bill 1909. that would force pro-life pregnancy resource centers to provide abortion referrals, he said, “They don’t care that this bill is unconstitutional, unreasonable, and unpopular…We must persevere. We’re right on every level of this argument and that really makes us stronger.”
Hauter left the podium, supported by more than a dozen pro-life lawmakers, one of whom led the audience in an impromptu chant, “Give me an L…give me an I…give me an F…give me an E ,” to the cheers of the crowd.
Anna Kinksey, Executive Director of weDignify, the organization that oversees the Illinois March for Life, explained that SB 1909 is the latest in six years of legislation designed to crack down on abortion vendors.
Kinksey details how Springfield lawmakers repealed parental notification protections, passed the Reproductive Health Act, legalized abortion at all nine months, eliminated the requirement of health inspections for facilities abortion, codified taxpayer funding of abortion, allowed non-physicians to perform surgical abortions, and allowed doctors stripped of their medical licenses by other states to perform abortions in Illinois. He then invited all present to meet with their legislators following the rally and march, sharing that the presence of state senators and representatives at the State Capitol was a major factor in the decision to move the March for Life Chicago and rebrand it as Illinois. March for Life.
Reverend Michael Mohr, President, Central Illinois District of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, emphasized the importance of being in Springfield.
“Almost a year ago, most of the politicians in this building behind me were shouting what I thought was a warning…’if Roe v. Wade,’ they called, ‘we’re going back to back-alley abortions.’ I didn’t realize at the time that they weren’t giving warnings about unintended consequences, but they were announcing their legislative agenda,” Mohr recalled.
“Unexpected mobile facilities positioned on abandoned lots along state lines, staffed by doctors who have had their credentials suspended in other states, these back alley conditions are now the new standard of care codified in our laws,” Mohr continued. “Women in this state, women traveling here from out of state, and the children they carry in their wombs deserve better. And we can do better.”
Pro-life advocates were urged to be vigilant in the activism of Illinois Right to Life Executive Director Mary Kate Zander, and inspired by Faith, whose abandonment by her birth mother, adoptive parents, and her child’s father, was drove him to despair until he was found. welcome and support at ThriVe ® Metro East Express Women’s Healthcare, a pro-life pregnancy resource center.
For Serena Dyksen, the devastating impact of abortion led her to found the abortion recovery ministry, She Found His Grace. Sexually assaulted at age 13, she was aborted by the notorious George Klopfer, the abortionist who stored the remains of more than 2,400 babies in his garage. At age 16, Dyksen and her now husband would face another unplanned pregnancy and once again find Planned Parenthood offering her an abortion.
“That day we chose life,” Dyksen shared. “Illinois turns to the God of child sacrifice – it’s a call for women to stand up for babies in the womb.”
To those who are witnessing for life outside abortion facilities, Dyksen said, “I’m so grateful for every person who takes to the sidewalks to stand up for women. Please don’t stop going. I am forever grateful for you.”
As the last speaker of the event, encouraged Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, all present to “Be of good cheer.” He declared that “The unborn child is a person. Every person is equal and of infinite worth regardless of whether any court recognizes this bold truth or not…that is the truth of science, that is the truth of medicine, that is the truth of technology…that is truth of religion…that is the truth of all moral philosophy…the truth of reason…and that is the eternal truth on which this nation was founded…Every child has the right to love.” And Harrison points to the practical fact that “there is no shortage of willing adoptive parents right here in Illinois.”
A senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Antonio Gonzalez, is a Student Leader, weDignify. He encouraged participation at any level, saying, “We all have the power to influence others, inviting them to experience the truth.”
Kinksey announced that the Illinois March for Life will return to the State Capitol Building in Springfield on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
The 2023 Illinois March for Life rally can be viewed in its entirety HERE.
