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ORLAND PARK, IL — A group of 45 pro-life advocates gathered March 4 to hold a protest and prayer vigil on LaGrange Road at 144th Street in Orland Park.

In a telephone conversation a day previous to the protest, William Beckman, executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee, said the purpose of the vigil is to protest the creation of a Planned Parenthood Express clinic in Orland Park. “When we heard it was coming here, we knew we had to do something,” he said. This is the second protest the group has held at the LaGrange location, added Beckman. “We also held a vigil at that site in October to see if people would want to join us in this endeavor.”

Hereafter, the organizers of Illinois Right to Life intend to hold weekly protests at the site. Beckman said he hopes the protests will work to force Planned Parenthood to abandon plans to open a facility in the southwest suburban community.

Although the facility in Orland Park is not planned as a full-scale clinic where abortion procedures are performed, it is a place where information about contraception would be offered and referrals made, according to Beckman. Currently there are two other Planned Parenthood Express clinics in the area, one located in Naperville and the other in Schaumburg.

Although the clinic is still in the planning stages with an opening date set for fall, Beckman said it was important for those in the pro-life movement to make their voices heard. “We need to let (Planned Parenthood) know that they are not welcome here,” he added.

On the day of the scheduled protests, pro-life supporters straddled both sides of LaGrange Road. The morning rally represented a broad range of people, from teens to the elderly. A cross-section of religious groups joined in the protests as well. The idea was to attract the attention of passersby. They relied on a variety of images to promote the cause on behalf of life, including pink and blue balloons that celebrate the birth of a child to signs depicting the Virgin Mary.

Standing at the end of the line, a group of teens in bright yellow shirts held a green banner proclaiming their love for women who choose life. “I just feel that it’s right for me to be here standing up for what I believe in,” said Kelly Johnson, a parishioner at St. Jude Parish in New Lenox. Johnson is no novice to protests in the name of pro-life. “I love doing this kind of stuff,” she said.

Johnson was joined by other members of the newly minted pro-life group out of Lincoln Way Central High School in New Lenox.

According to Angela Spicer, a member of St. Jude Parish in New Lenox, the pro-life club at the high school has been in existence for about a month. It currently has about 15 members. “But we are always bringing in friends and our membership is quickly growing,” she added.

Reaction to the group from classmates has been mixed so far, said Spicer. “Some of them will make fun of us, because we wear our yellow shirts during school, but it doesn’t bother us,” she said. Instead, the group has chosen to focus on raising awareness for pro-life issues.

Addressing the idea of a significant teen presence, Diane Herman, who oversees youth ministry programs at St. Cyril and Methodius Parish and St. Alphonsus Parish, both in Lemont, said “I came to pray with the protesters, and here I find all these youth on fire for life.” She said she was particularly impressed by the teen-agers’ youthful dedication and hopes older parishioners would get involved. “I think it’s wonderful that so many of them are getting involved,” she added.

A passionate advocate for life herself, Herman said it was important to respect each stage of life, from the unborn to the elderly, instead of focusing on just one. By respecting all of it, she said, people receive that respect in return and it ends up making the world a much better place.

Throughout the morning-long vigil, the reaction from people in the passing cars was mixed; some offered honks of encouragement and thumbs up, while others were not afraid to show their dislike of the protesters, by yelling derogatory comments out their car windows as they drove by. Father Thomas Loya, pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, commented, “it’s important to remember that we are not here to judge anyone.”

Father Loya said the main goal of vigil was to shed light on the issues of abortion and contraceptives. “If more women understood them, then I think they would be less likely to make the wrong decision,” he said.