Forty-two years ago Maureen Deitche aborted her unborn child and it continues to haunt her. “I still regret it,” she said. “You never forget.” Deitche attended the March for Life Chicago at Federal Plaza on Jan. 15 and held a sign that read “I regret my abortion.” Her husband Paul -- who is the father of that unborn child – attended with her and held a sign that read “I regret my lost fatherhood.” To confirm her pregnancy Deitche went to an abortion clinic, the only places to offer free pregnancy tests at the time. She was unmarried and feared telling her parents that she was pregnant. As she left the clinic staff came out after her and convinced her to return inside and have an abortion. “They made it seem like that was the only choice,” said Deitche, who is a member of St. Ansgar Parish in Hanover Park. She later married her husband Paul and they had four more children but the abortion still haunts the couple. “I believe the young people should know that there are choices and that I regret it,” she said. The Deitche’s were just two of several thousand people from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri who turned out for the annual march in downtown Chicago. Anne D’Amico came in from Crystal Lake because she believes it’s important to protect the unborn. “It is a human life. Its DNA will never be repeated in the history of humanity,” the young adult said. “Life is a gift. All lives matter.” Before the marchers processed through the streets carrying signs and chanting pro-life messages, they heard from several speakers including Cardinal Cupich. “We raise our voice this afternoon with a message which is simple and direct: life wins,” he told the gathering. “Pope Francis urged our nation during his 2015 visit to make families a priority if we are to make progress in defending human life and dignity, noting that a society is not healthy if it does not support families.” “If we are going to be serious about building a culture of life and creating a pro-life, pro-family society, we have to be serious about our commitment to protecting and preserving the life and health of the unborn before and after birth through right-to-life laws, through adequate health care legislation, by advocating for family leave policies in the work place that support moms and dads and by enacting laws that keep families together even if some have no documents.”
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