On May 2, Lions For Life attended a city council meeting in Danville, Illinois. The council voted on an ordinance that, if passed, would make Danville a “sanctuary city for the unborn.” The Indianapolis-based Clinic For Women has bought land in Danville and proposes to provide abortions there, targeting especially women from across the border in Indiana who cannot obtain legal abortions in their home state. If the ordinance was passed, then it would severely inhibit Clinic For Women from operating, as it banned, in accordance with State law, the “mailing and receiving of abortion pills and abortion paraphernalia” from outside of the state.

            While the underclassmen remained outside the building to voice their support for the ordinance on the street, the upperclassmen attended the meeting where the voting was to take place. Among the other supporters for the ordinance were Students for Life Regional coordinators Tom Usle of Illinois, and Mary Carmen Zakrajsek of Indiana. During the segment of the meeting in which audience members were allowed to comment, four members of Lions For Life, Fr. Sick, and a few faculty spoke to the council and the mayor, urging them to vote YES.

            Meanwhile, out on the street, the underclassmen prayed the rosary in the face of a large group of heckling protesters against the ordinance. Throughout the course of the night, the boys prayed and sang several rosaries, and held signs showing their support for the pro-life movement. The boys endured taunts and jeers but held their ground and prayed all the louder.

            Around 10:45 PM, after the students had been there for six and a half hours, the council’s vote resulted in a seven-seven tie. Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. broke the tie with a vote in favor of the ordinance. In the meeting room, supporters applauded loudly, and the students outside cheered into the night. For many students, it was their first taste of pro-life activism, and the victory impacted them deeply. The following day, the school received many e-mails and phone calls from Danville residents thanking the boys for being there to show their support. Many believed that the boys’ presence inspired some of the council members to vote yes.

            According to Live Action News, with the passing of this ordinance, Danville has become the sixty-seventh “sanctuary city for the unborn,” as well as the first such city in Illinois. We hope that the stand that Danville has taken will encourage other cities to combat the abortion laws of Illinois, and to use their voices to protect those who cannot speak for themselves: the unborn.

 

                                                                          Article by: Charles Prather