Nearly 50 participate in local pro-life demonstration

Members of the Cape Girardeau Chapter of the Missouri Right to Life lined Interstate 55 by the cross-dotted Cemetery of the Innocents on Sunday, encouraging passers-by to consider abortion laws during the election season.

The demonstration was part of the National Life Chain, an annual event that takes place in more than 1,500 cities and towns across North America.

Passing cars honked in apparent solidarity with the demonstrators, whose signs condemned abortion and asked for heavenly forgiveness on behalf of the country.

Cheri Adcock, one of the volunteers who led the demonstration, said the group's purpose was to make a display of love.

"This is a ministry of love. A lot of people think of us as haters," she said. "It's not any type of rally where we're waving the signs around or anything. Our intent is just to raise awareness."

Daniel James, of the Leopold Knights of Columbus, joins his 5-year-old daughter Emily and nearly 50 other protesters during the National Life Chain demonstration Sunday at the Cemetery of Innocents in Cape Girardeau.Tyler Graef

Adcock has been involved in pro-life causes since the late 1980s.

"The Lord just kept tugging at me to do something about abortion, but I didn't know what to do," she said.

Now, she runs the SEMO Life Savers booth at the fair and said this year's turnout for the demonstration was impressive. Nearly 50 people showed up to hold signs and pray rosaries.

"Each year, we've been bringing more and more," she said.

Daniel James and Gerard Macke, both of the Leopold Knights of Columbus, accompanied the picketers in full regalia.

"I came out to save the country from itself," Macke said. "That's the long version. Stopping abortion is the first step to getting this country back."

James stood with the day's youngest demonstrator, his daughter Emily, whose sign said, "Unborn Lives Matter."

"She's five," he said. "Sanctity of Life Sunday was the day she was baptized."

He said his views on abortion are important to him as a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

"This is one of our sacred duties -- to protect life and promote pro-life causes," he said.

While the Knights of Columbus are a primarily Catholic organization, Adcock said Sunday's event was for all pro-lifers.

"Look around here, there's protestants, Catholics," she said.

Like Christpher Williams, who said demonstrations such as these make a difference.

"I'm pro-life," he said. This is very important. We need to defend the faith. Defend the unborn. Hillary Clinton's not pro-life by any means, and Trump's not the best in that regard, either, but his vice president [Mike Pence] is, so hopefully he could get something in there," he said. "There are only two options: You're either pro-life or you're pro-abortion. You're told to love the sinner and hate the sin, but no matter what the case is, that's an innocent life."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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