Hundreds ‘March for Life’ against abortion downtown
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hundreds of people took to the streets in downtown Indianapolis, marching and rallying against abortion at the Statehouse with this message: “Unborn babies have a right to life.”
On Monday afternoon, the steps near the south lawn of the Statehouse were full of people marching while holding signs reading “Choose Life.”
Will Beardmore drove from Lafayette to be part of the crowd.
“If a fetus is a living human being, then that’s murder to kill that fetus, under any circumstances,” Beardmore told WISH-TV.
The march in Indianapolis played out alongside as anti-abortion rallies held in Washington and cities across the nation protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision in 1973.
“We can do better for the unborn babies than abortion. Forty-five years has left a track road of devastated lives, of tears, of heartbreak. We are marching to say ‘No More,’” said Marc Tuttle, president of Right to Life Indianapolis.
Some of those marchers held signs saying “De-fund Planned Parenthood.”
“Abortions are going to be performed whether they’re legal or not. We’re most concerned about women’s health. We believe abortions should be safe and done by quality medical professionals and should remain legal,” said Christie Gillespie, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky
Gillespie says the services provided by Planned Parenthood are vital to Hoosier women: “We prevent unintended pregnancies. If you’re preventing unintended pregnancies, the abortion rate will decrease, and we’re very proud of that.”
Even so, some women who marched and rallied Monday, like Monica Siefkef, of Bloomington, believe abortion shouldn’t be an option.
“Hoping and praying that one day soon there will be legal protection for the unborn,” Siefkef said.
State Rep. Curt Nisly, a Republican who represents Elkhart and parts of Kosciusko County, authored and introduced “Protection of Life” House Bill 1097, which would repeal the statutes authorizing and regulating abortion. The bill was referred to committee over a week ago.