Anti-abortion-rights groups throughout the Midwest are celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court decision that stripped women of the right to an abortion, calling the ruling a “momentous step” in protecting life.
“Today, we commend the Supreme Court for taking a very bold step to allow states to restore protections for preborn babies,” said Amy Gehrke, executive director of Illinois Right to Life.
“We are on the right side in acknowledging that the most innocent members in society deserve protections,” Gehrke said Friday at a news conference organized by March for Life Chicago, held at the South Loop Hilton Garden Inn.
Rev. Cory Estby of Zion Lutheran Church in Kankakee County said with Roe v. Wade overturned, millions of unborn babies will now have a chance at life.
Rev. Estby is chairman of the Life Task Force for the Northern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church - Missour Synod. He said his church will continue to support community pregnancy resource centers and host programs meant to support mothers.
Chris Butler, senior pastor at Chicago Embassy Church Network and a Democratic candidate in Illinois’ 1st Congressional District, said while he celebrates Roe’s overturning, he wants to make sure the country supports women who might be considering an abortion, such as through affordable housing and healthcare. He also called for Democrats and Republicans in the anti-abortion movement to work together.
“There is a ton of work to do and we need pro-life leaders on both sides of the aisle to get that work done and hold this country together,” Butler said.
In a statement, Kevin Grillot, executive director of March for Life Chicago, said with restrictions on abortion taking effect in states surrounding Illinois, the majority of the Midwest is now “returning rights to preborn children.”
Members of March for Life Chicago at an event in 2015.
Sun-Times file
