About 200 people marched from the Peoria County Courthouse to Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Fulton Thursday night. It’s an annual event protesting the 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion-on-demand legal in all 50 states. The keynote speaker was Pastor Luke Robinson, an African American minister from Quinn Chapel A. M. E. Church in Frederick, Maryland.

In a sermon that decried abortion-on-demand in general, Robinson pointed out that abortions are disproportionately high among African Americans. He distributed literature that included this information:

• “Abortion services have been deliberately and systematically targeted towards African Americans. A disproportionate number of the nation’s abortion clinics are located in minority neighborhoods.” (The Destiny o fhte Black Race, Carlisle Peterson, Planned Parenthood 1992 Service Report)
• “35% of abortions in the United States are performed on African American women, while they represent only 12% of the female population of the country.” (US Center for Disease Control, Abortion Surveillance Report 7/30/99, US Census Bureau)
• “The abortion rate among married African American women is 4.4 times greater than it is among married white women.” (Center for Disease Control, National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 47, No. 29)
• “According to the 2000 Census, Hispanics have replaced African Americans as the largest minority group in the US. The loss of 14 million African American children through abortion has played a significant part in this population decline.” (US Census Bureau, 2000 Census)

The literature also compares the “approximate number of African American deaths since 1973” by various causes, “based on cumulative statistics provided by the U.S. Center for Disease Control National Vital Statistics Reports.” They are: Abortion (14,000,000), heart disease (2,503,789), cancer (1,824,350), accidents (409,723), violent crimes (329,313), and AIDS (227,695).

Robinson compared the fight against abortion to Nehemiah’s fight to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. There were those who opposed the rebuilding who plotted to kill the workers and stop the construction. Nehemiah 4:18ff says, “As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me [Nehemiah]. I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.'”

Robinson said this was not a racial issue, and that he believes abortion-on-demand should be stopped regardless of what color one’s skin is. The fight against abortion-on-demand is like the fight to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. But he argued that the abortion battle right now is highest in the African American community. Thus, he’s “sounding the trumpet,” and calling everyone to rally to that front at this time, while not ignoring the larger goal.

Women’s Pregnancy Center director Myfanwy Sanders gave an update on the center’s work to help women. She stressed that we should not ask a woman who’s considering abortion to carry her baby to term unless we’re willing to help and support her in that decision. She gave an example of a woman whose husband was in jail and the baby she was carrying was not her husband’s. Through the work of the Women’s Pregnancy Center, she kept the babies (she had twins), and the family ended up staying together once her husband got out of jail.

Sondra McEnroe gave an update on Central Illinois Right to Life. They’re taking a couple of buses to Washington, D. C., to attend the 35th Annual March for Life. (Incidentally, Robinson was the keynote speaker at last year’s March for Life in Washington.) She said some seats were still available, but to call her soon because the buses leave on Monday. The march is Jan. 22. Central Illinois Right to Life also has a 24-hour help line. The number is 645-8000.

Rev. A. J. Guyton of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church said the opening prayer, and Rev. Mark Henninger of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) said the closing prayer. Refreshments were served after the event. The Journal Star has pictures of the walk and rally on its website here.