Walworth County Fair agrees to Catholic pro-life group presence

Teachings of the Catholic faith, including a controversial “baby in a bag” pro-life display, will be part of the 2014 Walworth County Fair under terms of an agreement reached recently between fair officials and an Illinois-based Catholic evangelical group.Peter’s Net volunteer Kathy Kinahan stands in the organization’s booth at the 2013 Walworth County Fair.

Peter’s Net, a non-profit group dedicated to spreading knowledge of the Catholic faith, will bring its message to the Walworth County Fair for the second consecutive year after fair officials initially refused the group’s application to renew and reserve an informational booth for this year’s fair.

The Walworth County Agricultural Society, operators of the fair, which runs Aug. 27 - Sept. 4, told Peter’s Net in 2013 they were not welcome to return after receiving a complaint alleging booth volunteers gave a 7-year-old boy a two-inch plastic figure of an unborn baby in a plastic bag containing informational cards on abortion and fetal development.

In their initial refusal, fair officials also cited a lack of available booth space for 2014 and a duplication of fetal exhibits involving an unrelated crisis pregnancy display, according to information in a Jan. 30 letter from the Chicago-based Thomas More Society to fair officials demanding Peter’s Net members be allowed to exercise their religious speech rights under state and federal laws.

continue at Mke Catholic Herald