Tour Saves 18 Babies

With three sites per day at areas all over the Chicago Metropolitan area and Northern Indiana, there is little time to compose this Action News Line, and most of the news for us is the highly successful Pro-Life Action League’s Face the Truth tour anyway.

Eighteen Babies Saved on Tour

So far at least eighteen babies lives have been saved through the tour and those are only the ones God has let us know about. On Wednesday’s tour, for instance, a couple with four children were seriously contemplating an abortion of the fifth child, when they drove through our protest area. The wife, who was not in favor of an abortion, pointed out the pictures to her spouse and he stopped to inquire about the authenticity of the photograph. When he was convinced that the picture was of an actual abortion, he immediately converted to his wife’s side and said there would be no abortion.

In the Cermak-Ashland area Wednesday there was almost universal support while earlier in the day we were given a hard time by police at 103rd and Kedzie. You will get foul language and obscene gestures from one carload of teenagers and the folks driving in the next car will give you the thumbs up and shout, “Keep up the good work.”

Public Sidewalks Are Public

The stops are all full of surprises. Even though we had decided not to have our graphic pictures in front of a White Castle, the manager complained that we were on the corner and called the police, claiming that she owned the sidewalk there. The police asked us to leave that corner but said we could remain if we wished. We stayed. The White Castle does not own the public sidewalk but I’ve had my last slider. It is amazing how many businesses claim to own the public sidewalk in front of their establishments.

At one location a home owner comes out and screams her head off using vile language and gestures, and at another home a woman will brings out cold drinks to the pro-lifers and thank them for being there. But the pictures are telling their message all over Chicago land and beyond.

No News Is Bad News

A visit to Valparaiso, IN on Tuesday night at the invitation on of Julie and Mark Wheeland to picket the Porter County Hospital for its abortion policy, was highly successful and made the front page of the Porter County Times. Two reporters were there and their two stories are as different as night and day, one truthful, the other biased toward the hospital’s policy. Thus the letters to the editors begin.

Keeping abortion before the public is critical and pro life activists have been successful in doing this for the past thirty years. As we have said many times, “There is no such thing as bad press. There is press and no press. If you don’t like the story write to the editors and insist that they get it right in their Letters column. If the story is accurate, write and compliment them. But keep the issue alive.

Fr. Peter Joins Tour

A boon to our truth tour was the presence of Fr. Peter West of Priests for Life, who spent two days touring with us, holding graphic signs, talking with many people and saying the closing prayer after each segment of the tour. Fr. West has become a regular, having joined us for three years and taking part in truth tours in New York, Maryland and elsewhere.

Also joining us on Wednesday was Fr. Gerry O’Reilly of St. Thomas More parish, who joined Fr. West in giving the blessing at the end of our second site.

A Family Affair

Also joining the tour Wednesday were the families of Eric Scheidler and Cathy Miller as well as daughter Sarah. It was a family affair with nine of the grand children and four of the siblings taking part at once.

Also, ever faithful Eileen Dolehide showed up to hold a graphic sign. Eileen and her husband, Dr. Robert Dolehide have 46 grandchildren. Talk about a pro-life family. The Dolehides have been faithful friends for more than thirty years and we’re still going.