For our final look back on Moments We Remember, 2023; we will point out that it all began to pick up momentum on Monday, March 27th; during a press conference and protest across the street from the old Dillman Eye Care at 600 North Logan. It had been learned that a women’s clinic from Indianapolis that offers abortions was planning to relocate there.
March 27th pro-life protest and press conference across the street from old Dillman Eye Care at 600 N. Logan.
Soon, the topic began to take precedence in the Danville City Council Chambers. At the April 25th Public Services Committee meeting, 31 people spoke, 21 in favor of an anti-abortion ordinance. Former Alderwoman Brenda Brown, meanwhile, stated that she was anti-abortion, but asked the Council to think about just how much an anti-abortion ordinance would cost the city.
A scene inside the Danville City Council Chambers during the April 25th Public Services Committee meeting..
But during that committee meeting, an ordinance designed to disallow abortions in Danville was forwarded to the full Council. The ordinance was designed to prevent abortions in Danville by prohibiting the reception, by mail, of “any medication, article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing an abortion.”
One week later, an overflowing crowd beyond one’s imagination, of several hundred people, assembled both outside city hall and inside the chambers at the May 2nd City Council meeting.
Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates asked the overflowing crowd for cooperation during the May 2nd Danville City Council meeting, while action was taking place outside as well.
Eventually, police and fire personnel were no longer allowing additional spectators in. Sixty-six people spoke, showing a 49-17 advantage in favor of the ordinance.
With Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr breaking a 7-7 deadlock with a tie-breaking vote, the ordinance passed. However, an amendment made to the ordinance prior to the vote, moved by Alderwoman Eve Ludwig, called for the ordinance to not actually be enforceable until it is confirmed by a subsequent court decision. And it was Vice-Mayor at the time Bob Iverson who pointed out; ONE, lawsuits would still come that will cost the city money; and TWO, if it’s not enforceable until a subsequent court decision, the clinic would actually be able to set up operations in the meantime.
But despite the amendment; for the pro-life crowd, it was a narrow, hard-earned victory, as Father Timothy Sick from LaSalette Academy stated while outside after the vote.
AUDIO: You know I think it’s just one step forward and little by little. It’s just one step forward, it’s a good action, and I think the aldermen made the right choice.
Back inside the Council chambers, the ACLU’s Chaundre White said the City of Danville had been warned about what would happen if the vote was “yes.” She stated they would be talking with the Attorney General.
AUDIO: We’re evaluating the next steps for challenging this ordinance. It is unenforceable, it is illegal; and I know we’ll be taking action.
The following day, Mayor Williams, who had cast the tie-breaking vote, stated matter of factly that the way the ordinance was passed with the amendment, the final verdict could still be a long ways away.
AUDIO: We will be working, in my mind, to make even some additional improvements to the ordinance itself. But as a reminder, it does not take effect until after we receive a decision in the court, a declaratory judgement, and it’s gone through all of the appellate process, which I anticipate could be years.
As the end of the year is approaching; there has been no declaratory judgement, and no move in at the 600 N. Logan location by the clinic.
