Pro-lifers
reach
protesting settlement
Pro-life counselors and demonstrators have settled their disagreement
with Aurora, an Illinois city, concerning pro-life protests at the
city's Planned Parenthood facility.
Picketing began with the construction of what became the second-largest
Planned Parenthood abortion facility in the U.S. Pro-Life Action League
spokesman Eric Scheidler tells OneNewsNow they ran into a serious snag
during the protest.
"From the very first hour, we had trouble with the police," Scheidler
explains. "The police chief at the time came over and was throwing his
weight around and really made me feel a sense of hostility from the
city, and we were getting contradictory orders right from the get-go."
The pro-life advocate says law enforcement officers uttered conflicting
instructions like, "You can't stand on the sidewalk; you have to stand
on the grass; you can't stand on the grass; you can have signs; you
can't have signs; you have to keep moving; you can stand still."
It became increasingly apparent to Scheidler that the group of
pro-lifers had to fight for their rights.
"We filed a lawsuit early on to secure our rights with the city of
Aurora," he accounts. "And as city officials realized that they had a
problem on their hands because they had not been handling our protests
appropriately with respect for our rights, they asked if we would try
to come to some kind of settlement."
A settlement was reached, and all parties are now on the same frequency
as protesters' rights are securely protected when speaking out against
abortion facilities. In return, the pro-life group has agreed to a
number of provisions and plans to drop its federal lawsuit against
Aurora. Demonstrators are no longer being harassed, and this agreement
ends the two-year dispute between the city and pro-life advocates.
Contact: Charlie
Butts
Source:
OneNewsNow
Publish
Date:
November 26, 2009
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.