'Save Midwestern Lives': March for Life Chicago Expected to Draw Thousands to Pro-Life Event

Thousands of pro-life advocates, families, and groups from Illinois and the Midwest are expected to gather Saturday for the March for Life Chicago to call for the protection of women and the unborn.

The organization's website stresses the importance of holding the event, which is focused on "Save Midwestern Lives," in Illinois, especially in Chicago.

"In 2019, Illinois performed 46,517 abortions, a 10 percent increase over the prior year," March for Life Chicago says, citing numbers highlighted by the Chicago Tribune in 2021.

Chicago has high abortion numbers. Cook County, which surrounds Chicago, reported 23,189 abortions in 2018.

Additionally, women and girls from throughout Illinois, and neighboring states, have resorted to getting an abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy, the website points out.

March for Life Chicago is also challenging the radical abortion policies set forth by Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and his effort to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act in Illinois.

The repeal rescinds a law passed in 1995 requiring abortion providers to notify the parent or guardian of a minor seeking an abortion at least 48 hours before performing the abortion. The repeal goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

"By signing the repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act, Governor Pritzker acted in opposition to 72 percent of Illinois residents who wanted to keep this commonsense law in place," said says Kevin Grillot, director of the March for Life Chicago. "Illinois is now the only state in the Midwest that does not have Parental Notification in place, an open invitation to out-of-state minors to pursue abortions in Illinois."

Grillot added, "This repeal strips parents of their rights to be involved in the medical care of their daughters and leaves girls increasingly vulnerable to sexual traffickers. We want the Governor and the abortion industry to know that we will not stop speaking up for vulnerable girls and their unborn babies. On January 8, 2022, thousands will gather in Federal Plaza and march down Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, as a sign of our unwavering support for each and every human life."

The outdoor march and rally is scheduled from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago. Immediately following the rally, marchers will walk 1.2 miles to the Hilton hotel where the March for Life Chicago convention is located.

Here’s the lineup of guest speakers:

• Pastor Chris Butler, Senior Pastor of Chicago Embassy Church, Executive Leader of the AND Campaign (andcampaign.org)
• The Honorable Avery Bourne, Illinois State Representative, District  95
• Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
• Kelly Dore, Executive Director of the National Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition
• Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
• Client, Aid for Women (a Chicago based pregnancy resource network)     
• Sr. Alicia Torres, a 2015 winner of the cooking show "Chopped" and member of the Franciscans of the Eucharist in Chicago (Humboldt Park)
• Dante Bucci, weDignify leader and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign senior
• Kevin Grillot, weDignify Executive Director

Additional March for Life Chicago events includes:

• 40+ pro-life organizations
• Diaper Drive for mothers in need
• Youth Rally, 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Educational sessions, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Illinois's Repeal of Parental Notification of Abortion
• Illinois's Sex Ed Law – What Parents Need to Know
• How Abortion Enables Sex Trafficking & What to Do
• How Illinois's Abortion Laws Impact the Entire Midwest
• Abortion Pill Reversal
• Catholic Mass for Life, 4 p.m.
• Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Gathering, 4 p.m.
• Banquet, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

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