Lake County Gazette

Rep. Blaine Wilhour recently welcomed a group of right-to-life advocates from his home district to Washington for a demonstration on March 21.

“This movement to protect and defend the unborn is critical in Illinois that is determined to be the most extreme and progressive on legalizing abortion with no parental notification, no limits and forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions who do not agree with this procedure,” Wilhour said in a post to his website.

The first day of the event began with an early morning Catholic Mass celebrated at the Sangamon Auditorium at the University of Illinois Springfield campus and presided over by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki. Later that same morning, Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield conducted a special Matins service commemorating Joseph, Guardian of Jesus and an Orthodox Christian Prayer of the Hours was prayed at St. Anthony Orthodox Church. The event also included a Eucharistic Adoration at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The March 21 event was led by Paprocki and was attended by an overflow crowd of families and high school religious groups from across the state, all of them openly expressing their zest for right-to-life policies, The State Journal-Register reported.

Paprocki said that when women experience unexpected pregnancies, they face uncertainty on how they will provide a good life for the child. He said life begins at conception and parishioners should help and provide assistance.

"Fear and anxiety can push women to believe that abortion is their only option," he said, according to The State Journal-Register. "As Catholics, we know that abortion is never the answer for a woman in need."

Paprocki also reportedly endorsed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision for "rightfully" allowing states to decide the legality of abortion. He wants to change laws in states where abortion is protected, including Illinois.