Local group holds memorial service for ‘unborn victims of abortion’

Posted on January 22, 2020
Christ Church Pastor Robert Smart (front) spoke to a crowd of about 40 people Wednesday on the steps of the McLean County Museum of History.(Neil Doyle/WJBC)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – A local group is expressing its concerns about abortion laws on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

McLean County Right To Life held its annual memorial service Wednesday for “unborn victims of abortion.” Christ Church Pastor Robert Smart has participated in the service for over 20 years.

“It’s a way to keep our voice in a non-violent way and hopefully we are communicating a message of mercy, love, and also what we believe is right,” said Smart.

Event organizer Andy Mitchell said the group is calling on elected leaders.

“We ask lawmakers to think about what abortion is and to pass laws in accordance with life,” Mitchell said.

About 40 people attended the service which was held on the steps of the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington.

The service coincides with the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…