NEWTON — A flyer for Catawba County’s Life Chain called people to a prayer and worship gathering on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Old Courthouse in Newton.
The flyer set the time from 1 to 3 p.m. It said the gathering was dedicated to honoring the unborn, and it said, “Together, let us pray for an end to abortion.” It listed Zaida-Paige Gardner as the contact for an RSVP.
Photos from the gathering show people on the courthouse steps and standing in a circle on the square, some holding papers.
Life Chain’s site says Oct. 4 is National Life Chain Sunday. It says that since 1987, people have gathered in public witness on the first Sunday of October, “in prayerful repentance over the sin of abortion in our cities and in the Church.” The site calls Life Chain an initiative of Joshua House.
Gardner, the RSVP contact on the flyer, said she rallied people in the county to pray. She told Catawba First News:
“Life Chain is an annual event that has been going on for decades around the country. I felt the need to rally the members of Catawba County in prayer over the precious lives of the unborn who are in danger of abortion not only because our community needs to see our dedication to this cause but also because North Carolina is tragically one of the most traveled to states for women seeking abortions. When we gather in faith to ask for God’s intervention in a powerful way, He hears us! This event was not only profound in so many ways, but it was also an encouragement for everyone in attendance to actively oppose abortion in our day-to-day lives.”
The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks clinician-provided abortions, said in an April 15, 2025 release that the states with the highest number of abortions provided to out-of-state residents in 2024 were the same four as in 2023. Illinois was first, with 35,000 abortions, 39% of abortions provided in that state. North Carolina was second, with 16,700, or 36%. Kansas was third, with 16,100, or 71%. New Mexico was fourth, with 12,800, or 69%. The figures are estimates. A higher share of abortions in Kansas and New Mexico were for out-of-state residents than in North Carolina. North Carolina’s place on that list is by number, not by that share.
April Underwood, vice chair of the Catawba County Board of Education, also commented. She was elected in 2024. She said:
“Today’s event in Newton was about praying for the unborn and their parents and also praying that the necessary resources to help these families would be made available. We pray that churches and community members will get involved to help meet these needs. I am very proud of our group Conservative Youth Coalition of Catawba County for standing for life!”
Source note
Flyer provided to Catawba First News by publisher Tom Dees. It reads, in part, “Join us for Catawba County’s Life Chain,” and sets Sunday, Oct. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Old Courthouse in Newton. A phone number and an email address printed on the flyer are not used here.
Life Chain, national site: lifechain.org.
Catawba County Schools, Board of Education, Vice Chair April Underwood: school board.
Guttmacher Institute, “Guttmacher Institute Releases Full-Year US Abortion Data for 2024,” April 15, 2025: release.
