Portland pro-life rally to fill downtown square Jan. 17

   PORTLAND — According to organizers of this month’s event, there is every reason to think that another overflow crowd could hit Pioneer Courthouse Square out of concern over the abortion issue.
     Last January, an estimated 7,000 filled the square when the annual Roe v. Wade Memorial Rally was held in Portland after many years outside the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. The new location sparked the huge turnout, and a big attendance is again expected from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, said Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life. “We certainly are planning for it,” Atteberry told Christian News Northwest. She said last year’s crowd was “very uplifting and encouraging” for the many evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics and others who share a deep concern over the ongoing tragedy of abortion. An estimated 51 million babies have been killed since the U.S. Supreme Court authorized abortion on demand nationally with its Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973.
     Coordinated by Oregon Right to Life, the January rally is also sponosred by Oregon Family Council, 40 Days for Life, Christian News Northwest, Precious Children of Portland and radio stations KPDQ and KBVM.
     Atteberry said the focus this year will be on the various pro-life ministries in Oregon. Among the speakers will be Cindy Brunk of Silent No More, an outreach to women who have had abortions; Harold Sievers from Precious Children of Portland, which has been opposing construction of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Northeast Portland; Oregon Right to Life President Dr. Frank Rosenbaum; Catholic Archbishop John Vlazny; Tamra Johnson of 40 Days for Life; and former state legislator Ron Sunseri.
     Atteberry acknowledged that staging the rally in Portland’s core is a sizable task. “But we just feel it is worth it. because of the encouragement it can bring to way more people,” she said. “And we like the idea of taking the truth of life all the way into downtown Portland.”
     In addition to the big Portland event, smaller pro-life rallies will be held this month at communities throughout the state. (See the Christian Events Calendar section of the CNNW web site). For more information, phone 503-463-8563 or go to www.portlandproliferally.org.