Our Civil War Ball is intended to be a fun, family event to enjoy the grace and beauty of mid-19th-century dancing. It has nothing to do with slavery. It is a costume event where we can show how far we’ve come, and all are welcome. But, more than that, it is a fundraiser for LifeGuard.

There are many time periods in our world’s history that are horrific, including our own. As it stands, there are more than 27 million slaves in the world today. Many people of color, including Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., declare that “abortion is the new slavery.” Babies are treated as property and are cruelly ripped out of their mother’s wombs and murdered for money. Their body parts are sold. Abortion tears families apart and denies humans their right to live. Clancy’s letter speaks of atrocities committed in the past, but there are atrocities committed right here in our community every week by the only abortion facility in a 200-mile radius. Why is that not called inappropriate?

LifeGuard, through its education efforts, is drawing attention to the similarities between the atrocities of slavery and the even greater atrocities of abortion. There is a civil war being fought in our country now, but those being killed are entirely innocent and have no voice other than those who stand up for them in the public square. We invite Donnelly to make a stand for the innocent babies being destroyed right here in his hometown.

Shelley Gundrey

Durango