Article published July 23, 2005
Cross-country walkers seek to halt abortions
Catholic youths pray, give talks during Toledo stop
Members of the American Life League's 'Crusade for Life 2005' pray outside the Center for Choice.
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THE BLADE/DON SIMMONS
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By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
A group of college-age Catholics is taking its message to the streets, walking across the country in the "Crusade for Life 2005."
Sixteen of the youths stopped in Toledo last weekend and stayed through Monday afternoon. During their visit, they spoke at two local parishes, met with a representative for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), demonstrated their support for the Catholic anti-abortion agency Heartbeat of Toledo, and spent time in prayer outside the Center for Choice abortion clinic.
Part of a nationwide campaign organized by the American Life League, there are 50 walkers in all covering three areas of the nation: the Midwest, California, and the East Coast.
The group that visited Toledo started out in St. Paul, Minn., May 30 and will cover 1,300 miles as the walkers zigzag through seven states on their way to Erie, Pa., which they plan on reaching July 29. This weekend they are in Cleveland.
The walkers said their goal is to educate the public in general about abortion and to promote the American Life League's slogan that says, "You Can't Be Catholic and Pro-Abortion."
The ALL cites church teachings that call abortion a sin and "intrinsically evil" and refers to a section of Canon Law, the church's legal code, that states "those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Communion."The organization, which calls itself "pro-life ... without exception," names 72 members of Congress who are Catholic and support abortion rights. The group is urging the public to pressure bishops to bar these politicians from receiving Communion. Among those on ALL's list are Congresswomen Kaptur and U.S. Sen. John Dingell of Michigan.
The issue has long been a heated one among the world's 1 billion Catholics, with some dissenting groups with the church, such as Catholics for a Free Choice, asserting that abortion is not a sin but a necessary option.
The ALL walkers' quest to spread their message to America - literally one step at a time - has not exactly been a walk in the park this summer, they said. And it's not just because of the sweltering heat.
"It's been an enormous spiritual battle," said Joey Kerlin, 21, of Stafford, Va.
One of the group's two vans was vandalized in Toledo, with the words "pro-choice" painted on a passenger door.
The group ran out of gas one time. They had to leave the home of one of their host families when mold caused breathing problems for a walker with asthma.
The students said they occasionally face angry outbursts from people who vehemently disagree with their stance and feel the walkers are trying to tread on their rights.
"Most of the people who blow up are confused and hurt," Mr. Kerlin said. "I've heard that slogan, 'Get your rosaries off my ovaries.' People are dealing with a lot of pain. But with the grace of God, we try to be loving."
Clutching rosaries, the walkers prayed for about an hour on Monday with heads bowed, just off the property of the Center for Choice. Some members of the group tried to hand pamphlets to women entering or leaving the clinic.
Sue Postal, the clinic's director, said the praying students were not disruptive and nobody complained to her about the demonstration.
Ms. Postal said she did not object to the students praying outside the facility. "People have the right to believe what they choose to believe," she said.
Mr. Kerlin said one woman outside the building was not so accepting, stridently asking each protester if they were sexually active and claiming that the protesters were too young and naive to understand what life is all about.
"I know she really upset the girls," Mr. Kerlin said.
Karen Mahowald, 19, of Lakeville, Minn., said she never expected to be involved in a protest until some college friends at Catholic University of America in Washington asked her to join them.
"A friend invited me to pray at an abortion clinic and from the moment I stepped on the sidewalk and saw the faces of women coming into the clinic, I knew I needed to do something," she said.
"We are here to support the women, not to condemn them or their partners," Mr. Kerlin added. "I'm a kid who could be in the same situation. We try to hand them literature, but a lot of clinics have escorts whose job is to keep the women away from us. If they're really pro-choice, why don't they let them read the pamphlets so they can make an informed choice?"
The group members walk in three-mile shifts and then rendezvous with their vans. They walk about 25 miles a day and stop for a few days in the major cities along the route.
People driving by often have a gesture for the walkers, both pro and con. "For every finger we get, we get two thumbs up," Mr. Kerlin said. "America is so pro-life. I've seen that close-up, walking across the country."
Before embarking on their journey, representatives for the group contacted bishops along their path to ask for permission to walk through their diocese. They also called Catholic parishes ahead of time to arrange speaking engagements, housing, and some meals. In Toledo, group members spoke Sunday at Little Flower and Sacred Heart parishes.
As far as financial support, "we rely totally on the providence of God," Mr. Kerlin said.
Some passersby who see them on the street, churches will take up offerings, or parishioners will invite them into their home for a meal, he said.
"The generosity of people is astounding," he said. "We rarely have to buy food."
Last year, with the controversy over the presidential race and Catholic candidate John Kerry supporting abortion rights, many people accused the American Life League walkers of trying to drum up support for President Bush.
"Well, we're back again," Mr. Kerlin said, "and this time there's no election. We're just here to love people."
Contact David Yonke at:
dyonke@theblade.com or
419-724-6154.
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