Your Diocese

ROMEOVILLE, IL — For Cathy and Paul Esposito of Visitation Parish in Elmhurst, respecting life is more than a 14-day project designed to commemorate Respect Life Month in October. It’s a four-season plan of action dedicated to safeguarding the lives of vulnerable young girls and women.

The commitment on the part of the parish’s pro-life committee to which the couple belongs gives preference to honoring life from the moment of conception. Advocacy for the sanctity of life stretches from conception to elder care, opposition to euthanasia and the death penalty; however, this committee’s focus is on the adverse consequences of abortion.

Along with the traditional display of 4,000 2-foot high, white crosses that stand on the front lawn of the church in memory of the number of infants killed every day due to abortions conducted legally in the United States since 1973, Cathy Esposito and a team of three others arrange a gray cross exhibit. For the fourth year in a row, this display has been set up on a corner plot along York and Madison Streets to mark the number of women who died from abortion procedures. The story behind each of the individuals identified on the crosses coincides with details provided by Life Dynamics, a pro-life organization headquartered in Denton, Texas, along with facts and figures offered by officials from the Priests for Life in New York City.

The 55-year-old mother of six adult children, Esposito said the unique exhibit of 390 grey crosses serves not only as a demonstration against abortion, but it also draws attention to the relatively unpublicized risks for women. This display pays homage to “the other victims of abortion.” The names of women who have died as a result of having had an abortion are printed on the crosses—most of them list the first and last name, said Esposito.

Tapping into the enthusiastic energy of the parish Boy Scout troop, she invited them to craft the crosses. Each year, the pro-life committee adds as many as eight, nine or 10 more crosses to memorialize women they learn about whose deaths are attributable to abortion complications. In 2002, the exhibit owned 344 crosses; the group has added 46 since then. “It’s difficult to get (up-to-date) statistics,” she said, especially on a national level.

A participant for the past 10 years together with her husband in the pro-life movement, Esposito said her involvement could be traced to a desire to be more than a “conscientious objector” with regard to anti-abortion. Without sharing the details of her own life, Esposito said it has been her experience that “people come to pro-life after a personal experience. I think they have more stick-to-itiveness,” she said, citing the decades of dedication to the cause.

In her research before setting up the project, Esposito said she took time to read the stories of the individuals named on the crosses. Afterward, she said, what stood out most was the fact that so many women died due to “unsafe” procedures. In general, she added, the cause of death was due to blood loss because the uterus was perforated or to post-abortion infection.

“It’s ironic,” she said, “those were the things that worried people the most when they were doing (abortions) with coat hangers.”

Involvement in the parish-created project became a learning experience for Esposito. “I think what’s interesting is the universality of it. The women come from” all socioeconomic backgrounds, from “college students, to poor prostitutes, to the girl on the street.”

In an Oct. 12 telephone interview with Your Diocese, Esposito said, “There is no such thing as a safe abortion.” As a whole, the abortion industry is “poorly regulated,” she said. There are no specific standards that apply to independent facilities.

Father Joseph Siegel, pastor of Visitation Parish, added that since there is so little oversight of the abortion clinics, aftercare for patients is minimal. “Unlike other doctors, abortionists are not responsible for aftercare for their patients, and accurate statistics about subsequent medical complications and related fatalities are not accurately reported. As a result, many more women than is commonly known suffer physical injury and even death due to this procedure,” noted Father Siegel in a statement prepared for the Oct. 1 parish bulletin.

Reflecting on the capacity of the exhibit to serve as a witness to faith and forgiveness, Father Siegel said the arrangement of crosses is part of a process of healing which takes into consideration the spiritual, physical and emotional aspects of hurting. The babies and the women are the obvious victims, but abortion takes a toll on grandparents, boyfriends or husbands, siblings and friends. The priest talked about the “guilt” factor, which affects people in different ways, depending on the relationship and the circumstances at the moment. Some people blame themselves for not being more helpful to the girl in a time of need, others shoulder fault because they were unaware of the problem.

From Father Siegel’s perspective, guilt over the matter of abortion is a societal issue. “Society doesn’t do much about abortion.” As a church, “we have taken steps to support” women and children. He highlighted the achievement of post-abortive ministries such as Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat and RETURN. Of particular note, he said, is an organized move to support women and children in the midst of crisis pregnancy situations. DuPage Birthright along with Woman’s Choice Services in Lombard and Glen Ellyn were established to assist in the immediacy of the moment with counseling, adoption options and financial support. In addition, the pastor lauded the efforts of Project Gabriel, which facilitates a near adoptive relationship between parishes and mothers in need. They take care of the mother for as long as she needs it, he said.