On the sidewalk along Washington Street, in front of large, billboard-like depictions of what the ministry Heart for the Next Generation claims are pictures of aborted fetuses, Scott Heldreth, the group’s pastor, engaged with a passerby in a spirited debate about creation.
“I believe even weaker children should be valued,” Heldreth told the man, who declined to give his name, on Tuesday, “because God created people in his image.”
This is the second year the Crown Point-based ministry set up its display on the Porter County courthouse square, though this year county commissioners moved the display from high-traffic Lincolnway to Washington Street because of public safety concerns.
The move didn’t bother Heldreth.
“Our lawyer’s frustrated because they’re basically moving us to a less traveled street but I’m not bothered by it,” he said, adding that he sees it as the government clamping down on free speech.
County attorney Scott McClure said during a July 12 Board of Commissioners meeting during which the ministry received approval for the protest that commissioners would not deny the request, but had the right to narrow where on the square it took place.
The county’s switchboard received numerous complaints about the graphic display Tuesday, McClure said. Commissioners also received complaints last year.
American flags and those that read “Justice for the unborn” fluttered over the signs and a number of protesters held signs that read, “Violence in the womb leads to violence in the streets.”
“We’re dealing with a culture of violence in our nation,” Heldreth said, adding when it’s used against society’s most vulnerable through abortion, “we open the door to violence solving any problem we have.”
Valparaiso is one of several cities across the nation in which Heart for the Next Generation is holding similar protests, he said, adding the Valparaiso display, which will be up again on Wednesday, generated an assortment of reactions.
“Our nation is so divided on morality and truth. I don’t know if it’s ever been so divided, so we’re getting different responses,” he said.
While Heldreth and the passerby discussed the origin of humankind, two of the more than 20 people on-site with the ministry placed their hands on a woman’s shoulders after offering to pray for her.
The woman, of Valparaiso, declined to give her name, but said she thought the display was “wonderful.”
“It’s great to see young people standing up for their cause,” she said, adding she agreed when they asked to pray for her. “I told them I had just left Bible study and I was glad to see them doing God’s work.”
Not everyone was pleased with the display, which also featured pictures of Nazi Germany and the attack on the World Trade Center, among others.
“We have enough violence in the world. Their display, equating abortion to the Taliban, is inviting violence. I think it’s abominable,” Rosalie West of Valparaiso said.
Regardless of the content, the First Amendment guarantees the ministry’s right to show the displays, said a Porter Township resident who also declined to give her name.
“Everybody has their right to show their stuff. It is a bit graphic but it’s freedom of speech. Even if I possibly don’t agree with them, everyone has the right to express their opinion,” she said.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Freelance photographer Mark Davis contributed.
