Why the Life Chain is important

The fight for human rights did not end with Dobbs v Jackson. It has only just begun.

On October 2, Christian Citizens for Life organized a Life Chain along Third Street that stretched from College Mall Road to Planned Parenthood. CCFL implemented "street captains" a few years ago to encourage people to go to different locations rather than bunching up in front of St. Charles Catholic Church east of the university campus. This has significantly increased the reach of the Life Chain.

The opposition was childish and shrill, as usual. There are people who stop to have calm discussions with volunteers, but people shrieking "F*** you!" is much more common. One would think that higher education would teach people to make a coherent argument that does not involve obscene gestures and screaming obscenities, but emotion often overcomes intellect. An angry reaction can be encouraging, however, as it shows that the Holy Spirit is working in someone's heart. I would much rather someone be angry than completely indifferent.

But why was this done, and why is it important?

Roe v. Wade was finally overturned this past summer, but the slaughter of unborn babies will continue and will perhaps accelerate in Democrat-controlled states while Republican-run states look to restrict or outright ban killing the unborn. Overturning Roe was the beginning of a protracted state-by-state battle, not the end of the battle. We cannot stop until abortion is illegal in all fifty states, because this is about basic human rights.

The reason it is important to have a Life Chain here in Bloomington is because city government is aggressively pro-abortion. Both city and county government have given thousands of dollars to the abortion "clinic" every year, and the city has been doing so since 1999. Local government needs to be reminded that many of their constituents oppose this wicked use of their property tax dollars, and that we support basic human rights of unborn babies.

The other reason why this is important is that it is encouraging to pro-life people in the community to see a large turnout across town for something like this, and people who are not plugged in will see like minded folks braving the opposition publicly. It can be discouraging to be pro-life in Bloomington, so seeing the Life Chain helps - even more so than the annual Rally for Life, because the Life Chain covers a much bigger area. As long as babies are being slaughtered by surgical or chemical abortion, the Life Chain must continue.