On February 3, hundreds of pro-lifers, from Illinois and across the nation, gathered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, just outside Chicago, for this year’s annual SpeakOut Illinois conference, which was titled: “Horizons of Hope: The End of Roe.” The program consisted in a series of lectures and finished with a memorial for the 47 million innocent babies who have been legally killed through abortion since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.
This year’s conference was co-sponsored by 34 organizations, including the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. Featured speakers included: His Excellency Thomas Paprocki, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and outspoken critic of Governor Rod Blagoeivich’s decision to order pharmacists to fill prescriptions for the morning-after pill, South Dakota State Representative Roger Hunt (R), who was the primary sponsor of the statewide abortion ban passed by South Dakota’s legislature and Thomas Brejcha of the Thomas More Society, who was lead counsel in the high profile NOW v. Sheidler federal case.
This year’s program was coupled with a simultaneous program, specially geared towards teenagers. The teenage program included a talk on the psychology behind abortion and a screening of pro-life videos posted on YouTube. The main program was more action-oriented with talks on mobilizing of state legislatures, preparing pregnancy centers for post-Roe America and pro-life strategies.
The event ended with a memorial for the unborn that included an address by Bishop Paprocki.