Paprocki leads Illinois March for Life rally; abortion access groups have counter protest

Thousands of anti-abortion and abortion access advocates descended upon Springfield Tuesday, marking the first Illinois March for Life in the post-Roe era.

Out-of-state demand for Illinois reproductive health services skyrocketed following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last year as states such as Indiana and Wisconsin enacted bans or restricted access.

Related:Illinois advocates take abortion access fight to the skies for out-of-state clients

The day included multiple events at the University of Illinois-Springfield, Trinity Lutheran Church and on the state Capitol grounds. Advocates on both sides of the issues made plans to meet with lawmakers amid a busy week of floor action in the 103rd General Assembly.

Prior to scheduled rallies and a march around the Capitol grounds, a Roman Catholic mass service was held at Sangamon Auditorium. Springfield Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki led the service before a crowd of families and high school religious groups from across the state.

Groups traveled to the Capitol from Chicago and Rockford and other parts of the state. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin senior Blake Troyer attended the mass after hearing from multiple anti-abortion presenters this school year.

Although not Catholic, Troyer said he has heard Paprocki speak several times and welcomed the bishop's remarks on abortion.

"It's always great to hear from the bishop," he said. "He's a strong voice for our state."

Paprocki, renowned for his anti-abortion stance, endorsed the nation's highest court decision for "rightfully" making the legality of abortion a question for states to decide. The bishop pushed for a resurged effort to change laws in states like Illinois where abortion is protected.

Illinois has also removed provisions such as parental notification if a person seeking an abortion is a minor and recently passed legislation protecting healthcare professionals who provide abortions and out-of-state travelers who seek the procedure.

Paprocki said mothers dealing with unexpected pregnancies face uncertainty when it comes to how they will provide a good life for their newborn, which he believes begins at conception. This is when parishioners need to step up and provide a helping hand, he said.

"Fear and anxiety can push women to believe that abortion is their only option," he said. "As Catholics, we know that abortion is never the answer for a woman in need."

While organizers for the March for Life set up in front of the Capitol, a group of pro-choice activists gathered across the street on the corner of Monroe and Second Streets for a counter rally.

Several organizations, including the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women, three chapters of Indivisible, Chicago for Abortion Rights and the Gay Liberation Network, were taking part in the rally. Their aim was to send a message of support to those fighting for abortion rights in Illinois and other states with restrictions and bans.

Springfield activist Heather Dykes was one of the leaders of the event and said that people should have the ability to make choices about their own bodies without interference from the government.

"We are advocating that people have autonomy over their own bodies, whether that is to have children in a loving, supportive environment or not to have children," Dykes said. "Sadly, our government has been bending to the will of a small subset of our population, rather than acting as a true democracy."

Among those who came down from Chicago to protest included Ivy, an activist who said that they wanted other states to have the same kinds of rights those in Illinois have in terms of reproductive rights.

"I'm a millennial, so my generation is one of the first to always be born with the right to an abortion," Ivy said. "I want to keep that right for all future generations. I don't want that to be gained and lost in one generation."

Chris Kulfan, another Chicago-based activist, said that the situation in other states reminded him of his parents' home in Poland, which re-criminalized abortion in the early 1990s. He pointed out that with the precarious nature of abortion rights in other states, they couldn't take Illinois' status as a safe haven for granted.

"It's good to show opposition to what we're seeing in front of us and at the same time, not to normalize it," Kulfan said. "I'm a straight, white male, so does it directly (affect) me? No, it doesn't, but I've known a lot of people who've had abortions. I've known a lot of people who've come from fundamentalist families who had to get abortions (in) secret from their families or who would have kids even if they didn't want to. A lot of the policies (former President Donald) Trump enacted wouldn't affect me directly, but I don't want to live in a country like that."

Also Tuesday, standing in front of the Lincoln statue, a dozen-plus GOP legislators announced their opposition to a new bill working its way through committee.

Senate Bill 1909 from state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, creates the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act, which permits the Illinois Attorney General to legally investigate limited services pregnancy centers suspected of misleading or interfering with an individual’s attempt to seek an abortion.

The bill, assigned to the Senate Executive Committee, would allow the AG to temporarily or permanently close operations and to issue up to a $50,000 civil penalty. The proposal has until Friday to advance out of committee.

State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, spoke to the crowd spilling out to Second Street and Capitol Avenue. He said the other side of the aisle’s position on the bill was wrong due to the services these centers provide and called it unconstitutional.

Hauter, a practicing physician, took particular issue with the fine structure where the attorney general could issue the fine, receive the fine and use it to finance operations within the office.

“We all know how good they are at deciding what is disinformation,” he said. “This information, unfortunately, found out during COVID, is any information they do not agree with.”

State Journal-Register reporter Zach Roth contributed to this story. Contact Patrick Keck: (312) 549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Groups on both sids of abortion debate hold Springfield rallies