PRO-LIFE MESSAGE SHARED WITH THOUSANDS: PRO-LIFE BRIDGES DAY
We’ve had a long-standing collaboration with Joe and Ann Scheidler’s organization, Pro-Life Action League, on a number of things, including Pro-Life Bridges Day. Thanks to incredible volunteers throughout Wisconsin, we were able to reach 61,900 motorists with our pro-life message. Thank you to all who helped out!
In Green Bay, our affiliate decided to get creative and bring balloons and decorations to grab the attention of motorists below – kids even brought their pool noodles to wave around! Green Bay's first-ever Pro-Life Bridges Day was wildly successful reaching nearly 25,000 motorists and receiving dozens of positive honks from truckers passing by!
While sharing the pro-life message on the Greendale pedestrian overpass, the group was greeted by local law enforcement, an encounter we are familiar with as pro-lifers. They simply gave the standard reminder not to attach the signs to the chain-link fence, and then one of the police officers even went so far as to say that he agreed with our message. Praise God!
Our outreach in Brookfield however was met with a little more resistance as they cited a loitering ordinance in an attempt to override our first amendment free speech rights. They also mentioned that there were several complaints that were called in – our message was striking a chord. One of the officers said, "Unfortunately, because of the loitering ordinance, you are going to have to move along." I calmly and politely told the police officer that we had a specific purpose with our presence, we had no unlawful intentions, and the number of complaints registered does not blot out our right to free speech. The definition of loitering is to linger idly or aimlessly without lawful purpose. We offered her the legal memo from the Thomas More Society, which cited numerous Supreme Court cases, including one from Wisconsin – Ovadal v. City of Madison, guaranteeing the right to free speech, even on a bridge with a pedestrian walkway. I let her know that we were prepared to have our attorneys sort this all out, but we weren’t moving unless they threatened arrest. She left and brought back her supervisor; he knew the law and let us remain there with no further interference. All the while, thousands of motorists were encountering the truth about abortion on the interstate below.
Pro-Life Bridges Day is just one day out of the year, but it doesn't need to stop there! If you are interested in sharing the pro-life message on a bridge near you, contact [email protected] – We'll ship you the signs for free and set you up for success with any legal documents you may need should an encounter occur. Thank you for your bold defense of the preborn and your presence in the fight for life!