Group protests Roe v. Wade over weekend

This week marks 36 years since the United States Supreme Court made its ruling in Roe v. Wade, but for the group that gathered Sunday on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn, the need to oppose abortion has not diminished over time.

About 150 to 200 anti-abortion activists showed up Sunday afternoon for the 2009 Rally for Life to commemorate the passing of Roe v. Wade and remind people that abortion is still a relevant issue.

The group met on the Courthouse lawn and marched down Walnut Street to Second Street, then circled back on College Avenue to pass Planned Parenthood.

The rally, an annual event, was organized this year by Christian Citizens for Life and began with several prayers and a sermon by local pastor Stephen Baker, who spoke about defeating evil and the role abortion should play in American politics.

“Abortion should be ground zero,” Baker said. “Abortion should have been the top issue in this election.”

Besides highlighting the significance of the millions of abortions since the Roe v. Wade ruling, Baker also touched on the importance of President Barack Obama’s new administration. He criticized Obama, calling him “the most pro-death president we have ever had.”

One of the biggest sources of controversy regarding Obama among anti-abortion activists has been a statement he made in summer 2007 at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund that the first thing he would do as president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a piece of legislation that states a woman’s fundamental right to choose whether or not to bear a child or terminate the pregnancy.

Obama released a statement on his Web site Jan. 22, 2008 – the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade – explaining that his reason for supporting the bill was because it was vital to protecting women’s health. He has also run a platform on increased availability of birth control to lower-income women in hopes of decreasing abortions.

After a prayer to conclude Baker’s sermon, the group held up protest signs with messages like “Abortion Kills Children,” “Stop Abortion Now” and “Adoption: the Loving Option.” They then began marching down Walnut Street, where there was little pedestrian traffic but plenty of reactions from motorists.

Some motorists responded with friendly honking, while others laid on the horn, screamed obscenities or extended their middle fingers at protesters.
Event organizer Clint Mahoney said he hoped the protest would draw attention to the anti-abortion cause by way of numbers.

“One of the purposes is to say to all the people as we walk that this isn’t an issue just a few crazy people believe in,” Mahoney said.

More specifically, he said he wanted the event to lead to reflection about Roe v. Wade, and highlight the hope that one day there could be no abortions.

“Simply put, our goal is to put an end to abortion,” Mahoney said.  

Besides supporting the common cause, individual protesters had their own reasons for taking part.   

Mahoney himself had perhaps one of the most personal reasons for coming out – he and his wife had an abortion 15 years ago.

He said he wished that at the time more information had been available about alternatives to abortion, so he and his wife would not have had to endure the pain it
caused. He hoped his activism could help bring more light to abortion alternatives.
Ellettsville resident Rachel Pierson, who participated in the demonstration, said she joined the rally because she feels that she has a duty to protect unborn children.

“It’s the most helpless phase of development,” she said. “It’s not an inanimate thing, but a person who can’t even cry out for themselves.”

But Mahoney said one of the most important reasons for rallying was that people know how much pain abortion can cause.

“It’s not something that’s well talked about,” he said. “It takes years sometimes to see how much damage has been done.”