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2006 Face the Truth Tour Launches in Downtown Chicago

Choice sign

A bus shelter advertisement provided a uniquely appropriate location for a third trimester “Choice” sign during the April 12 Truth Day [Photo by EJS]

On Wednesday, April 12—Spy Wednesday of Holy Week, when the Church remembers Judas conspiring to hand over Jesus—twenty dedicated Pro-Life Action League members hit the streets of downtown Chicago to launch the spring phase of the 2006 Face the Truth Tour.

The Tour group began at Wacker Drive and Madison Street for an “early bird” site, 7:30-9:00 a.m., showing the truth about abortion to the large crowds of morning commuters crossing the Chicago River from the Metra rail stations. Hundreds of pieces of literature were distributed and volunteers received more positive comments than usual, including e-mail messages sent to the League later that day praising the Tour and asking for information on getting involved in the fight against abortion.

A pair of pro-abortion counter-protesters with NARAL signs stood off to the side for a short time during the beginning of the Tour site. No other counter-protesters were seen that day.

Chicago Police Hassle Pro-Life Father

The second site of the day, along the west side of Lake Shore Drive near Buckingham Fountain, was marked by an unusually large police presence. Five police vehicles monitored the pro-life protest, including a surveillance van which parked for a while on the median of the Drive, apparently videotaping the scene.

About an hour into the demonstration, a police seargent who had been circling the block over and over pulled up on the sidewalk and took objection to the fact that two signs were being held by pairs of children—my children, as it happened. Though the seargent claimed to be concerned for their safey, his manner was usually belligerent for a Chicago police officer, and he seemed bent on entrapping me into admitting I was acting irresponsibly for having my children on the Tour.

Though nothing could be further from the truth—my children, one of whom is actually a teen, were several feet from the flow of traffic and are experienced Truth Tour participants—we decided to conclude this site early because of the intimidating behavior of the police. The League’s attorneys were alerted to the problem and are preparing a response if this sort of police reaction is encountered again.

Choice sign

Truth Day at Daley Plaza, May 17, pro-abort group at left [Photo by EJS]

Baby Malachi an Imposter?

On May 17, we brought the Tour to another favorite site, downtown Chicago’s Daley Plaza. Hundreds of Chicagoans on their lunch hour saw the League’s abortion signs and received literature on abortion. A man whose cousin had scheduled an abortion spoke to one of our twenty volunteers and was given resources and encouragement to help him talk her out of the abortion.

A small group of pro-abortion counter-protesters stood at one corner of the plaza and passed out a crude flyer with various desperate pieces of “evidence” that our well-documented photographs are fakes. For example, they declare that the second trimester Baby Malachi abortion photo is a fake because two different prints of that photo have different color hues—which is in fact common with different printings of the same image.

Of course, anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of fetal development—or who has ever seen an ultrasound image—can imagine what a second-trimester abortion would look like. The unfortunate Baby Malachi fits the description to a tee.

A second Tour site planned for 2:30-4:00 p.m. at the Art Institute had to be cancelled due to rain. The Spring Tour phase will conclude June 14, and the Summer Tour will be held July 8-15.

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