GUEST POST: As a pro-life activist, you never know how your day is going to turn out. Recently, my Students for Life of America (SFLA) Regional Coordinator Nicole Hollmann called me to let me know she was speaking at a city council meeting in Quincy, Illinois in support of a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance. When she asked if I would like to join her, I quickly decided that this was more important than anything else I had on my schedule — school included. We headed to the meeting together, and I am so glad I made that decision.  

When we got to City Hall, we signed up to speak and met with Mark Lee Dickson, a pro-life advocate who travels across the United States to help pass legislation. Dickson, Hollmann, and I walked to a park to talk about our game plan for the night. I didn’t have any plans to speak as this was a last-minute trip. However, that changed.  

Dickson informed us that Dr. Alveda King (avid pro-life activist and Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece) caught wind of what was happening in Quincy and wrote a statement to be read at the meeting. He asked if I would be willing to read it, and I happily accepted. We learned that the park we were sitting in was where the sixth Lincoln-Douglas debate took place. It was so surreal sitting in the place where Abraham Lincoln fought for human rights while preparing to do the same for the preborn.  

That night, we waited in a long line of people for the doors to open at City Hall. As we entered, many of the abortion supporters made loud, ugly comments to get us to react — but to no avail. We took our seats peacefully, and the meeting commenced.  

There was a large pro-life crowd with people of many backgrounds. There were veterans, students, and healthcare workers, all there to support the ordinance. It was so encouraging to see people from all walks of life united for our cause.  

As one of the first speakers, Hollmann called out the attorney who claimed to be pro-life and still recommended voting against the ordinance due to cowardly fears about the city being sued. About three hours later, it was my turn to speak. I thanked the Aldermen for their time and read Dr. King’s message to the people of Quincy. It was humbling and such an honor to read her letter.  

When it came time for the vote, there was much debate. Many of the aldermen claimed to be pro-life yet voted ‘no’ out of fear of being sued (even though those fears had been discredited by many speakers). One of them even admitted that he didn’t want to get into the debate of putting taxpayer dollars over innocent lives as if that would justify his ‘no’ vote. 

To put it plainly, the aldermen chose their own comfort over innocent lives. 

With two aldermen missing and a vote of 7-5, the ordinance unfortunately did not pass. We met with a few of the aldermen after the meeting who promised they would keep fighting for the rights of the preborn.  

While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped, the fight is far from over. We will continue to mobilize and petition lawmakers until every city in the U.S. is a safe space for the preborn — a place where the right to life is afforded to all regardless of their circumstances.   

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