"Offensive" picture of unborn child prevents prolife group from parade participation

A prolife group in Palatine, Illinois, has been denied participation in a local parade because they refused to censor a banner which included an image of an unborn child.

"They decided that an unborn baby is too offensive," said Martin Kelley, co-founder of Palatine Area Catholics Respect Life. "It's an ultrasound photo. It's not a picture of an aborted baby."

The banner {pictured right} also includes a photo of an elderly woman.

Hometown Fest is organized by the Palatine Jaycees, a private organization. Jaycees officials said the pro-life group was rejected because they refused to work with parade organizers, not because of their message.

"The Respect Life Group was denied participation in the Hometown Fest parade
because [they] refused to work with festival organizers regarding their display materials," the Jaycees said in a prepared statement. "Unlike other groups who fully cooperate regarding display materials, the Respect Life Group refused to make any changes to the banner or even have a discussion about it."

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