Abortion: Joplin's Point of View

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Get your own

Blake James and Eli Yokley
10/4/2009

From 7th to 20th and range line, the streets were lined with pro-life supporters on Sunday.

Deana Maurer, the organizer of the event, took some time to speak with TFJ during the hour long protest/prayer. When asked about why she put the event together, Maurer said that “abortion kills” and that the word isn’t being spread via the media right now, so by having an event like this people can be informed about the evils of abortion.

The Joplin event was started around 18 years ago, and at the innaugral showing there were nearly 4,300 attendees.

The goal of supporters was not only to inform drivers on Range Line, but also to pray for the unborn. Local Pastor John Sherwood went on record today saying he was “concerned for the plight of unborns, and their right as people in our country.” Sherwood sported a sign that read, “Birth, the first innaleable right.”

Maurer also spoke on the impact and significance of the even saying that she hopes the area would be effected by what took place today.

Judy Clark, of Webb City, spoke on the issue of women involved in rape, saying that there are other options, “you must carry the weight of killing a child [after choosing to abort]” she says.

Opposing Views:

As with any ideology there are dissenters. Amy Agee and Craig Taliaferro we a few among the opposition. The basic principal they supported was that we are all entitled to a counter point if we do not agree with something. The group felt that the government should not be involved in a mothers choice. Going off of that Amy and Craig both say they are not pro-abortion, rather pro-choice, the right to choose what is best for you in your situation, not a broad policy that bans abortion all together. Agee feels that if we really want to stop abortion in the U.S. we must fix the socioeconomic hardships many mothers face today. If mothers are economically safe they are less likely to feel the need to give up their children. Taliaferro felt that it would be in the best intrest of everyone if we keep the option of abortion open to all.

THOUGHTS:

No matter your stance on the issue you have to admit that Joplin did a good job today. Two sides of one argument promoting their opinion peacefully. There were a few cases of drivers commenting against one particular idea, on the whole both sides noted the supportive honks, thumbs up, and “thank you’s”. Maybe if this kind of open discourse and protest took place on other issues we could accomplish something to better our nation. Cheers for democracy.

Peace, love, and the right to be informed

(Blake James is Contributing Editor of The Fuse Joplin and Junior at Webb City High School. Eli Yokley is the Editor-in-Chief of The Fuse Joplin. Both contributed to this article. Thanks to Natalie Preston for helping out and being generally awesome.)