Carbondale, Illinois, a rural town near the Missouri border, has become an abortion hub for women in nearby states, and at least one city employee saw that as a potential “economic opportunity.”

Abortion facilities in Carbondale killed 11,000 innocent preborn babies last year, about half the total population of the town, according to a New York Times article. An email uncovered by pro-life leader Brian Westbrook illustrates the callous reason why city officials seem just fine welcoming travelers to their town for the sole purpose of killing their own preborn children.

In 2022, then-City Manager Gary Williams wrote that “just these three clinics alone should result in probably 15,000 patients visiting Carbondale annually.”

“So, in spite of the controversy surrounding this issue there is an economic opportunity for our community,” Williams wrote, according to the recently publicized emails obtained by Westbrook and his group, Coalition for Life.

Williams denied holding those views when asked recently for comment by the New York Times. But it is undeniable that Carbondale leaders are proud to dispose of innocent babies from Missouri, Iowa, and Georgia, and other states that value human life. Illinois, on the other hand, supports abortion through all nine months of pregnancy for virtually any reason.

Democratic Mayor Carolin Harvey “welcomes the clinics but said she worries that the number of abortions could be leveraged by opponents to lobby for a national ban,” according to the New York Times.

It’s no wonder then that the city implemented a 100-foot “bubble zone” around abortion facilities after the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. After all, Harvey, Williams, and the abortion facilities needed to protect their “economic opportunity.” And effective pro-life sidewalk counselors who help women choose life and actually provide them with the resources they need to succeed as parents cut into the profits of the abortion industry.

Carbondale repealed the ordinance as a federal case, brought by Coalition for Life, moved closer to the Supreme Court. Legal group Thomas More Society criticized the town for “gamemanship.”

Town officials are responsible for the grisly designation as an abortion hub. They see desperate moms and women who want to end their pregnancies  as a potential for making money.

It is depraved to be proud of being known for killing babies. Carbondale should think about how it can be known for helping women, children, and fathers live a healthy and happy life. That takes real courage and work, but it is the far better option.