On Sunday, Feb. 24 in Flossmoor “a unique and inspiring display of unity” occurred around the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a pro-life support center for pregnant women. The opening of the Aid for Women center on Governors Highway attracted Illinois’ leading religious and political pro-life leaders, business leaders, blue collar workers, whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and supporters of all ages.
“We may not have the funding and power of the state of Illinois, which funds abortions through Medicaid, nor the $1.6 billion in revenue of Planned Parenthood, but what we do have is the power of a shared belief that every mother facing an unplanned pregnancy and every unborn child has infinite dignity and value, and deserves our affirmation, support and protection,” said Flossmoor resident Dennis Cortes, who along with his wife Kris, help found the Southland Coalition for Life.
Leaders of Southland Coalition, established after the opening of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on Governors Highway in January 2018, were responsible for the opening of the Aid for Women center.
“Where our support has come from in this first year is primarily from the Flossmoor community and surrounding communities, which are middle and lower income communities,” another Southland Coalition co-founder said. “It was through hundreds of individual donations that got us here.”
Another outpouring of support came from Operation Nehemiah, a group of mostly tradesmen and retired firemen who donate their time and labor to build out the facilities of charitable groups they have chosen to support. Project Nehemiah took on the hardest parts of the renovation, and members of the Southland Coalition joined in and together finished the renovations ahead of schedule, the group’s leaders said.
At the opening, both Democratic and Republican leaders addressed the crowd.
“When Planned Parenthood went up here, we said we are going to be right there, to challenge every day, to challenge the culture of death with the culture of life,” said Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-03).
“When they opened up this Planned Parenthood, our response was not to lie down," said Republican Jeanne Ives, the former state representative from Wheaton who nearly defeated Bruce Rauner in last year’s Republican primary. "Our response wasn’t to be complacent or lukewarm. Our response was to create a haven of hope for women. And that is such a beautiful response. When women come through that door, we don’t judge, when women come through that door, we don’t condemn. When women come here, we give.”
Rayanna, a former Aid for Women client, delivered a tribute to the empowerment of women.
“Going to Aid for Women was the best decision of my life,” she said. “They gave me so much. Got me through a very difficult time, they provided my child and me a home, and made me feel like I had hope again. That’s why I’m where I am today. I am a mother, and I did it. Coming from feeling alone in an unexpected pregnancy, to doing everything for myself, having our own home, having a good job, having a car, and doing it on my own.”
Many question whether America can ever unify again around common goals, Kris Cortes said.
“The grass-roots campaign to build Aid for Women Flossmoor proves that yes we can, especially if those goals are affirming the dignity and value of all life,” she said.
To help Aid for Women Flossmoor serve all women in need of their services, go to www.helpaidforwomen.org to donate financially or to volunteer.
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