Sun. Oct. 5 was a peaceful, mild afternoon. Some businesses were closed for the day, yet the sidewalks outside of them were filled with people hoping to catch the attention of passing cars on Main Street. Their cause? Raising awareness on the issue of abortion.
A group known as The Life Chain organized the event, recruiting people from local churches to come out and voice their cause. Around 20-25 people turned out for it, bundled up against the chilly winds and holding signs. Some of them said “Jesus Forgives & Heals” and “Pray to End Abortion.”
This event called “Respect Life Sunday” takes place once a year, on every first Sunday of October, and lasts from 2:00-3:00 PM. Those leading it called the protest a “Pro-Life Demonstration.”
“The purpose is for silent prayer and humble supplication to God on behalf of unborn children and [their] mothers,” said Jeff Yorde, a member of the Holy Redeemer Church in Marshall who helped organize the event. He went on to point out that The Life Chain doesn’t focus exclusively on abortion, but also on support for the elderly, mentally handicapped, and the sick.
When asked what he hoped to achieve with this demonstration, he had this to say: “We’re hoping to raise awareness, maybe change some minds.” There were some shows of support throughout the day, with honks or thumbs up from passing drivers, along with the occasional negative comment.
Other goals of the demonstration were to encourage people to really think about the issue of abortion, and to participate in voting.
“We rely entirely in God our Father to move our hearts. Each one of us is a miracle,” Yorde said. “People need to think of life from conception to natural death.” This attitude is shared by the Catholic Church. Yorde’s way of thinking would include changing legislation about abortion, which was made legal in the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade in 1973. It would also call attention to ways in which “natural death” is thwarted. He also spoke about the issue of assisted suicide, or Euthanasia, although he made clear that he in no way meant to belittle the struggles of cancer patients. He mentioned suicide over depression as well, as a way which violates a person’s natural life span.
The Life Chain is attempting to get churches involved to influence political action to end legal abortion. Some already taking part are The Holy Redeemer Church in Marshall and The Evangelical Free Church in Cottonwood. There is no specific denomination in this demonstration: some were Catholic, some Protestant. Another attendee named Layle French, from the Evangelical Free Church, helped to organize the event as well. He called for the church to engage politicians to change legislation about this issue.
“We just want to try to end this holocaust,” French said.