Anti-abortion protesters take to the street

It looked like a drive-through restaurant in the parking lot at Austin Bluffs Parkway and Academy Boulevard on Sunday afternoon.

Drivers and pedestrians stopped by the yellow Hummer with the "Respect for Life" license plate, where their choices were not hamburgers and fries, but an assortment of anti-abortion signs.

This was command central for the Life Chain prayer vigil, where JoAnn Trujillo, a Respect Life coordinator for St. Mary's Catholic Church, and others were handing out not only placards, but advice. "Pray quietly and do not respond to any hecklers," she said.

Hundreds of people stood arm's length apart for about a quarter mile along Academy. They juggled red roses, babies, Bibles, and placards that said "I'm Glad You Were Born," "Adoption: the Loving Option" and "Vote Yes on Amendment 48," the latter a reference to a ballot issue in the upcoming election that would change the Colorado Constitution to define personhood as starting at the moment of fertilization

Those in passing cars gave them friendly honks. Some glared or gave thumbs down signals. But there were no traffic or other problems.

Hundreds of cities in the U.S. and Canada participated in the ecumenical "Life Chain" in which people prayed for an end to abortion. Locally, there were demonstrators representing a variety of local churches, including New Life Church, Mountain Springs Church, many Catholic parishes and Focus on the Family.

The public demonstration is the largest to date locally to draw attention to Amendment 48.
One of those holding a Yes on 48 sign was Sister Georgiana Franzluebbers, who has been a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration for nearly 60 years. As she juggled a placard and her rosary beads, she said, "Life has been devalued in our society."

No groups protested the demonstration. But Groff Schroeder, president of Freethinkers of Colorado Springs, said later that his group opposes the amendment for several reasons: "Instead of basing the decision (of when life starts) on the verifiable, repeatable and predictive results of science, Amendment 48's point of view is based upon faith and does not even correspond with ancient writings such as Exodus 21:22."

He added that the amendment threatens the lives and freedoms of women in emergency and nonemergency situations, and that physicians could go to jail for providing birth control information or safe and accepted medical procedures needed to save the life of the mother.

The amendment also appears to threaten the separation of church and state since so many organized opponents of abortion and birth control appear to have religious underpinnings and financial support, he added.

Charlie Damore brought her three children to the vigil. She pointed to them as example of why the issue was important. "I want people to know there is support for women who feel there is no other option."

She says, "I was 16 years old when I had my first child as a single mom. It was a tough situation, but I didn't ever consider an abortion." Now married, she is expecting her fourth child in the next couple of weeks.

The Life Chain event is a national movement. This is also Respect for Life Month designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Michael Sheridan of the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs attended the event, and prayed silently with the others. He would not comment on Amendment 48, citing legal prohibitions from espousing politics from the pulpit. But he said he was there to honor "a peaceful prayerful demonstration to demonstrate our respect for life."

Sheridan said that while the movement has made headway, especially in recent years because of "consistent prayers," there have still been 45to 50 million abortions since 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, and the polarized issue burst onto the public square.

Locally, the Catholic diocese's Respect for Life Office holds regular prayer vigils outside local women's health clinics attended by mostly small groups of demonstrators. Such national demonstrations have waxed and waned over the years says Abby Ferber, professor of women's and ethnic studies at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

"It hasn't died down as an issue, but it hasn't been the focus of visible marches, and loud protests like the old days," Ferber said in an interview last week.

In early 1980s such protests across the country led by groups such as the evangelical Operation Rescue were huge, with sit-ins and many arrests as the anti-abortion movement was being built

"But in recent years there has not as much need for those large protests. Everyone is familiar with the issue and entrenched in positions ," Ferber said.

She is surprised, however, that there has not been more vigils and marches pro and con in recent weeks considering that Amendment 48 is on the November ballot.

"Perhaps in the next month there will be more of it, with Palin (Republican vice presidential candidate) on the ballot and a push to get conservatives out to vote," Ferber said.