Dueling Protests On Abortion Hit Mokena

MOKENA, IL -- One of Mokena’s busiest intersections was the site of dueling protests on the topic of abortion last Thursday afternoon. The Pro-Life Action League and its “Face The Truth” campaign brought its tour called “They Were Our Brothers and Sisters” to 191st and La Grange Road. They were met with a counter-protest from the Southwest Suburban Activists group.

“We had about 50 people come out. It was one of our better attended rallies,” said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. “It was a great crowd. We had one white woman come out who was here with her two adopted kids who are African-American. I thought that was really powerful.”

Scheidler’s group held up signs showing photos of what the league calls abortion victims. One was of the foot of a fetus with the message “She’ll never learn to walk. Aborted 15 weeks.” Another one of a fetus had the written message, “His only baby photo.”

“We tried to make the photos less gory this year,” Scheidler said. “We sought images that showed the true image of what abortion does to an unborn child.”
But the group was met with an outnumbered but vocal counter-protest, a plan initialized by SSA member Sam Roselle.

“I was thrilled to stand alongside like-minded men and women against the unnecessarily-graphic, close-minded and heavily Christian-influenced anti-choice demonstrators,” said Roselle, who described herself as a passionate feminist and longtime “right to choose” advocate.

Roselle’s group displayed several Pro-Choice signs, including many in response to the signs displayed by the Pro-Life advocates.

Mateusz Tomkowiak was one of about 15 people who showed up for SSA’s counter protest.

"Women should be able to make their own decisions about their own health and reproductive choices,” Tomkowiak said. “It's a simple principle, which is protected by the constitution and enjoys broad popular support. (Last week), a small, but vocal group tried to undermine the ability of women to determine their own futures by engaging in gory stunt tactics. But, thankfully, groups like Southwest Suburban Activists are paying attention and organizing in resistance."

Scheidler said it’s not uncommon for the Pro-Life Action League to be met with counter protests now and then, but during this year’s tour that spanned more than a week and stopped in several locations in the city of Chicago and suburbs had less resistance than in years past.

In Mokena, there were “about a dozen,” and that’s “a credit to them,” Scheidler said.

“As activists, we celebrate freedom of speech and welcome diverse views,” he said. “Part of what we are doing is helping keep freedom of expression alive.”

Outside of the stop in Mokena, Scheidler said there weren’t many with opposing views showing up to counter protest this year.

“We had none in downtown Chicago, where we often do,” he said. “There was one woman in Orland Park who was blocking a young high school boy’s sign and got right in his face. We were finally able to convince her to move and stop intimidating a kid.”

Roselle takes exception with the younger Pro-Life protesters who she says are “forced to propagate an idea that they can’ possibly fully understand.”

“My heart breaks for the young boys and girls who are victims of their parents’ conservative ideologies,” she said, relating a conversation between two young boys during the protest in which one allegedly said “If they only want to kill babies, maybe they just shouldn’t get pregnant.”

“It’s deeply disturbing to think that these two adolescent boys have such a severely limited understanding of life, love, sex and the family-planning process,” Roselle said.

The dozen or so SSA members and allies who showed up brought more signs than their Pro-Life counterparts, but Scheidler says many of the signs were “pretty illegible” to drivers in the area.

“They actually made us look like a larger group,” he said. “Many of the people passing by had no idea they were counter protesters. Their signs really missed the mark, especially compared to our images that were very distinct and powerful.”
Emily Biegel, founder of the SSA, thought differently.

"We had more signs and far more support from people driving by,” Biegel said. “There was lots of honking for our signs and power fists in our direction.”

One of the signs displayed by a pair of SSA counter protesters was a checklist of things that would lower abortion rates. Checked off were contraception, free child care and comprehensive sex ed. Crossed out though was “standing at busy intersections with gross bloody signs.”

Scheidler responded by saying there’s “mounting evidence that when you introduce contraception and sex ed you actually end up with more abortions, unwed mothers, teen pregnancy and divorce.”

“It’s true that contraception will prevent a pregnancy, but on the aggregate it radically changed the way people behave and the very idea of what sex is about,” he said. “The vague instruction of sexual technique and condom training leads to the thinking that no one is expected to have any self control.”

Diane Bruske, another early member of SSA, said the Pro-Life movement has “a very simplistic view” on unwanted pregnancies.

“In my view, they are pro-birth, without regard to the well-being of the baby's life or that of the mother,” said Bruske, who decided to promote Planned Parenthood during the counter protest. “For many women and girls, abortion is the only alternative: they are living in poverty; they are unable to care for a child; or they are children themselves... Pregnancy is a profound experience, and the birth of a child changes a girl's or woman's life forever. No child should be born into these circumstances and for those who are, their futures are often grim.”

She says the first solution to reducing abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

“Until the time that there are no more unwanted pregnancies, abortion will have to remain an option,” Bruske said.

Biegel said the SSA's effort was a "complete success." Scheidler said the same of the Pro-Life Action League.

“In the west suburbs we saw two different people stop and take photos of the signs to show women they knew who were considering abortion to reconsider,” Scheidler said. “That’s what we are trying to do, appeal those who are considering abortion and convince them not to do it.”