2012 Dubuque Walk for Life

Saturday morning @ 10:30 am DBQ Co Right to Life held its 27th annual Walk for Life. The walks usually begin with a rally at Washington Park followed by the walk to the Court House & then to KC Hall for a Chili lunch. Because of the frigid cold the program was rearranged. The people still gathered & Washington Park. Then they walked to the Court House. Then to the KC Hall where the rally was held.

Over 100 people participated in the walk. I wasn't one of them this year due to spme knee problems & the condition of the sidewalks & streets after Friday's 6-1/2 inches of snow. I did go directly to the KC Hall for the rally.

The rally began a little after 11 am. It was MCed by Steve Fuerst. He reminded everyone of the ongoing tragedy that abortion was. The number is now over 55 million & growing.  He went on to tell the crowd that we are there to "remember not only the babies who have been lost, but the women who have been led to the abortion clinics by lies and outside pressures."

He introduced Becca Kennedy from Epworth who won the Junior High division of the March for Life Essay Contest. She read her winning essay. Here is a part of that essay:

"Just think about all of the people that we could use to make this world an even better place. Each of the 4,400 babies that are killed each day by the deadly sin of abortion could have been someone special. They could have found a cure for cancer or any other harmful disease, found life on an unknown planet or invented a new form of transportation.
By taking away each of their lives, you're taking away a bright future they could have had, but now never will." (You can read the entire essay here)

The runner up for the junior high division was also from the DBQ Co. area, Natalie Frasher of Cascade.

The Rev Dennis Schmitt of DBQ Community Church spoke next. He talked about the documentary movie 180. The message of that movie is how similar what we are doing today with abortion is to what Hitler did in Nazi Germany. Rev. Schmitt pointed out how the Jewish people were dehumanized, like unborn babies.  he also pointed out how many people who claim to be Pro-life are more concerned about voting for "what that politician offers for our pocketbook," rather than Pro-life candidates.

Next up was Fr. Michael Barry, Parochial Vicar @ St Mary's in E DBQ. Fr. barry looked at the threats to our religious liberties made by the Obama administration. he talked about how Pro-lifers are classified as potential terrorist & that with the ;aw Obama signed in December we could be arrested & detained without trial. he also talked about the final ruling Friday by HHS Secretary Sibelius forcing Catholic Institutions to pay for birth control as a part the insurance coverage provided.

Colleen Pasnic, who will be leaving as executive assistant of DBQ Co Right to Life was recognozed for her years of service.

The program ended with Steve Brody, executive director. He encouraged more people who can to volunteer to picket at the local Planned Parenthood.  The good news, they have reduced their hours on Wednesday. But they expect the new site to be open 40 hours when they start up.* He also talked about the Churches participating in Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, about the bus trip to DC & asking for our prayers for safety for those traveling to the March for Life. 

I have to give the Telegraph Herald a pat on the back for their coverage of the event. & especially for the headline "Protesting an 'ongoing tragedy'."  They also have a short video interviewing some of the people at the rally.

*  So far I have not seen much activity at the news site which is 1-1/2 blocks from where I live. & definitely no evidince of any work being done to prepare the place for openning. I pray every time I go by that the place will never open as it will almost definitely offer telemed abortions.