Remembering the unborn

COEUR d'ALENE - The headstone in St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery reads, "In loving memory of the innocent unborn."

Nearly 90 people gathered around it Saturday morning to recognize the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children. They solemnly bowed their heads and prayed along with clergymen from various churches as they spoke about the tragedy of abortion.

"Despite all the polarization that the abortion issue has, this is a place of healing. This is a place of rest and restoration," said Sheri Olsen of Life Services of Spokane and Rachel's Vineyard. "It's not the ugliness that we often see."

Olsen stood at a podium near the memorial and shared her personal experiences of abortion.

"For most post-abortive women, they don't tell anybody," she said. "It's hard, very, very hard. We all hold onto secrets. But it is that thing that you think that if people knew they won't like me, or they will judge me. And you know, they might. You can't change it. I don't get a do-over with that."

Hans Neumann, co-chair of Right to Life of Coeur d'Alene, said many organizations are standing by to help people who might be confused about their situations or what they should do to get out of an unintended pregnancy.

"We all make mistakes, and hopefully one of the objectives here is to serve as a reminder to those who have not participated in abortion," he said. "There are casualties. Somebody dies every time."

This was the first time the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children was publicly honored in Coeur d'Alene.

"What we remember is the over 55 million lives that have been lost in the last 40 years, not only the babies but many of the mothers," Neumann said. "Some have died, many have been emotionally scarred for life."

The ceremony lasted about an hour. Attendees sang a few hymns and placed small, red flowers on the memorial.