The Office of Marriage, Family and Life of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is urging Catholics to take action to oppose a recent St. Paul City Council decision to designate March 10 Abortion Providers Appreciation Day in St. Paul.

The office encouraged Catholics to send letters to their council members to “show your distain for this new day in Minnesota.”

“Be civil, but be direct and firm,” advised the office via email March 9. “What they have done is unconscionable.”

St. Paul’s seven City Council members unanimously approved the resolution March 4. It recognizes Dr. David Gunn, an abortion provider who was murdered in Florida March 10, 1993. Four council members sponsored the bill: Rebecca Noecker, Jane Prince, Dai Thao and Nelsie Yang.

The Office for Marriage, Family and Life email noted actions encouraged by three pro-life organizations: Twin Cities-based Pro-Life Action Ministries and Human Life Alliance, and Students for Life of America, which is based in Virginia. PLAM said that that messages to city council members should “express your disgust at this resolution and their failing to represent the large pro-life population in the City of St. Paul.”

In addition to contacting the council members, the office encouraged Catholics to sign SFLA’s petition to cancel “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day” in the future. Organization representatives are expected to deliver the petition at the City Council’s March 11 meeting.

According to the email, the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood are planning to sponsor a Tweetstorm to promote the day at noon March 10. Human Life Alliance suggests that pro-life individuals use the hashtag #CelebrateAbortionProviders with a counter message to let others know that Minnesotans do not support abortion.

In 1996, abortion-supporting organizations began to recognize March 10 as National Abortion Providers Appreciation Day. In February, St. Louis, Missouri, also passed a resolution to recognize the day.

The St. Paul resolution states that the National Abortion Federation has “found an alarming escalation in incidences of obstruction, vandalism, and trespassing at abortion clinics” and that “The Supreme Court of the United States now contains a majority of Justices who may not interpret the Constitution to provide protection for the right to end a pregnancy and may overturn or severely limit Roe v. Wade, which includes the threat of women patients and abortion providers being arrested and sent to jail.”

The day falls happens to fall in the middle of 40 Days for Life Twin Cities, Feb. 26-April 5, during which pro-life advocates pray 6 a.m.–6 p.m. outside Planned Parenthood in St. Paul.