In two quiet, simultaneous protests, pro-choice activists faced off with pro-life groups in Daley Plaza July 11.
Pro-life groups Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Action League spent the day demonstrating against abortion with graphic images and large placards along Washington Street, while a truck with an anti-abortion image circled the plaza.
Advocates from NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) Pro-Choice America and the Chicago Abortion Fund countered the demonstrations with pro-choice posters and messages.
Pro-life demonstrators largely outnumbered the pro-choice groups.
"I know we are smaller in numbers, but we are big in spirit," said Benita Ulisano of NARAL.
Anti-abortion activists flock to Daley Plaza every summer to demonstrate and are met by counterprotesters.
Gaylon Alcaraz, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, noted the importance of providing an opposing presence to the pro-life groups.
"Apathy is the anti-choice's best weapon," she said.
Still, both sides appeared to remain cordial throughout the demonstrations.
According to Nate Scheidler of Pro-Life Action League, Daley Plaza is one of several stops the group is making on its eight-day "Face the Truth" tour. The group is also demonstrating in Joliet, Aurora, Palatine, Lake Zurich and in Chicago's South Side, Scheidler said, to "show the truth about abortion."