Anti-choice activist Robert Ferguson
Gotta love the anti-choice nuts at Operation Rescue. The backstory: They’re going after Dr. Tiller, a Kansas abortion provider, for approximately the 340,986th time. Dr. Tiller is a favorite of theirs because he’s one of the last abortion providers in Kansas, and he provides late-term abortions. One of their followers shot him in both arms a few years ago, his clinic has been vandalized on numerous occasions, his workers are regularly harassed, and he’s Target #1 for a “pro-life” movement that murders doctors. Tiller’s home address, family members’ information, and pictures are all posted on “pro-life” websites. For protection, he lives in a gated community, has a high-level security system surrounding his home, and wears a bullet-proof vest to work every day.
Operation Rescue and other anti-choice groups harass Tiller constantly — in person and in court. They stalk his employees, sifting through their trash and encouraging local businesses (like their dry-cleaner or their mechanic) not to service “baby-killers.” They picket his clinic. They put up heinous websites about him — I don’t recommend googling “Dr. Tiller,” but if you do, you’ll see what kinds of websites I’m talking about. They sue him. They also attempt to bring criminal charges against him. Usually, those charges are so flimsy that they don’t make it past a grand jury; they are, however, expensive and time-consuming for Dr. Tiller, which is the point.
I would encourage everyone to read this article about anti-choice harassment and stalking in Wichita to get a fuller idea of what’s going on out there. It’s a must-read piece, and if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a look.
The latest harassment of Dr. Tiller includes yet another criminal charge for which there is very little evidence. Operation Rescue, however, has decided that it’s important for them to subpoena the private medical records of women who have had abortions in Dr. Tiller’s clinic, and to show the Grand Jury photographs (taken by Operation Rescue, natch) of the women walking into the clinic — and don’t worry, they’ve already posted those photos online anyway. They claim that no privacy rights are violated because the women’s faces are blurred in the photos, and identifying information will be redacted from the records.
All of which, as we know, is crap. But here’s where it gets (unintentionally) funny: They have a press release running in Christian “news” sources this week, complaining that an editorial and a political cartoon in a Kansas paper are unfairly compromising the Grand Jury’s work. The anti-Operation-Rescue editorial reads, in part:
A hunt through women’s medical records soon could begin at the Sedgwick County Courthouse — one set in motion by a petition, paid for by tax dollars and sanctioned Wednesday by a judge. That should bother Kansans on both sides of the abortion issue.
[…]
Of course, many anti-Tiller crusaders can live with that, especially if, in their view, it saves a baby’s life. They consider the harassment and intimidation of women, as well as of Tiller and other providers, as the necessary means to ending abortion.
Speaking of harassment — it was not reassuring to learn this week that Troy Newman of Operation Rescue had testified before the grand jury, suggested it acquire four years of Tiller’s records and even provided it with pictures of women entering Tiller’s clinic who were in what he believed were the late stages of pregnancy. It was bad enough that Operation Rescue has taken such photographs and posted them online.
If the grand jury wants to be fair and impartial in its work, it should be wary of Newman, his fringe group and its harassing and often tasteless tactics.
All reasonable enough. Here’s the cartoon:
So here’s the slightly amusing part: Operation Rescue responds by whining that what they do is within their First Amendment rights, and it isn’t harassment; the newspaper’s decision to print opinions, however, is impeding the Grand Jury. I think someone forgot to read the full text of the First Amendment:
“This attack was a shameless attempt to influence the grand jury via the editorial pages of the local newspaper with ad hominem attacks and inaccurate information,” said Operation Rescue spokesperson Cheryl Sullenger.
[…]
“Privacy arguments are red herrings. A serious investigation into criminal abortions is being conducted and the grand jury is legally entitled to whatever evidence they require. Lives are at stake here. All due effort is being taken to protect the privacy of women, but you can’t excuse criminal conduct by claiming in was done under a cloak of privacy,” said Sullenger.
Addressing Homan’s accusation that OR tactics are harassing, Sullenger responded, “The last time I checked, exercising the First Amendment was not considered harassment, despite Holman’s inflammatory rhetoric. Holman would rather that viable-baby abortions illegally continue than face the truth that Tiller may be violating the law. This reveals a militant support for illegal post-viability abortions, which is a startlingly radical position for an editorial board to take.”
“As much as they want to shift the focus from Tiller’s alleged criminal late-term abortion ring, the truth will win out. Let the grand jury conduct their investigation unimpeded and let justice prevail,” said Sullenger.
So… a well-reasoned and brief editorial in a city newspaper is a “shameless attack,” but screaming at women entering clinics, taking their pictures and posting them online, stalking clinic employees as part of a campaign called “Nowhere to Hide” and conspiring to blow up abortion clinics is totally fair game?
Of course, I’m surely just being hyperbolic when I accuse Operation Rescue spokespeople of actual violence, right? I mean, they bill themselves as one of the largest and most influential pro-life groups in the country, and surely they would at least want to pretend that there’s some space between them and the crazies who murder people and set buildings on fire, right?
Sadly, no. Cheryl Sullenger, Operation Rescue spokeswoman, Senior Policy Advisor and co-author of this press release, spent a few years in jail for conspiring to blow up the Alvarado Medical Center in San Diego, California. She was also one of the creators of the Nowhere to Hide anti-choice tactic, wherein anti-choice activists stalked and harassed clinic workers in their homes and their communities.
Operation Rescue has always been one of the more crazy-embracing anti-choice groups — even if it is highly influential, and even if its leaders are warmly accepted by the mainstream “pro-life” movement. But Sullenger’s conservative connections aren’t just to anti-choice and fringe organizations — she served on Central Committee of the 75th District of the San Diego Republican Party.
And Troy Newman, the other author of the press release, isn’t exactly a marginalized figure either, no matter how seedy he is. More about him (and other anti-choice terrorists) here.
These are not fringe organizations and these are not marginalized people, no matter how much the mainstream anti-choice or conservative movements try to paint them that way when they succeed in murdering people and blowing up buildings. They are embraced on every level of the organized “pro-life” movement and the Republican party.
Their views — from their anti-contraception, anti-sex stance to their promotion of violence and murder — are radically out of touch with most Americans, including most self-identified pro-life Americans. But they’re entirely in line with the mainstream “pro-life” movement.
It’s also worth mentioning that they stalk and harass not only abortion providers, but anyone who they claim is an “abortion collaborator.” The term “collaborator” is used rather loosely — they list anyone who has any contact whatsoever with abortion providers, and they call on their insane followers (who have been known to commit acts of violence in the name of “life”) to “take action” in response. Feel free to peruse the list of “collaborators” yourself — it includes the people who do Dr. Tiller’s dry cleaning, the pharmacy where Dr. Tiller fills his personal prescriptions, the copy shop he uses, his air conditioner repair person, his local coffee shop and bakery, and charities that have accepted his donations. Here’s that Operation Rescue tells their followers to do with the list:
It is important to note that this is not a boycott list. It is something more. Certainly, some will be compelled by conscience to refrain from doing business with abortion collaborators, and that is acceptable and even welcome. However, others may be moved to contact the businesses on the list and witness of Christ to them. That, of course, is also the duty of Christians. Others may want to attempt to educate them on the evils of abortion and the sanctity of human life. There would certainly be benefit in that endeavor since undoubtedly some on the list have not fully considered the ramifications of their business dealings on the pre-born.
However one is touched by this information, we pray that it will prick the conscience of our society and be used to hasten the day when pre-born children are no longer treated as a commodity that has the potential for profit, but are instead valued and protected.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
-Ephesians 5:11
Five comments in, the late Operation Rescue pal Robert Ferguson — who promoted the murder of abortion providers — says:
Baby killers like Tiller should be ostracized by a moral society. Their blood money should be unacceptable and their patronage refused.
The life of a baby killer should be one of utter hell in trying to find a place to lay his head or to sit down to rest. There should be no such place found.
It’s remarkable that there are some who claim to oppose abortion yet cannot see how in accepting Tiller’s blood money that they offer aid and comfort to the enemy.
Businesses and individuals who aid and comfort the enemy are traitors. Those who support these traitors are also traitors. Any involvement in baby killing should come with a great and unacceptable cost.
You just make it acceptable to kill children when you treat a baby killer like Tiller “like any other customer”
He’s also one of Army of God’s “Heroes of the Faith” (warning: fake bloody fetus pictures). Army of God, for the unfamiliar, is a militant anti-choice group that makes no effort to hide the fact that they promote murder and terrorism. They’re the ones with the infamous list of abortion providers’ names and addresses — and they draw a big red line through the names of doctors who have been murdered.
The very next comment quotes Paul Hill, an anti-choice terrorist who murdered two people.
But Operation Rescue and Army of God haven’t been going after Dr. Tiller alone. No, former Kansas Attorney General — and current county District Attorney — Phill Kline used taxpayer dollars to join the Tiller witch-hunt. And not only was Kline in line with Operation Rescue and Army of God’s goals, he appointed one of their own as a special prosecutor in the Tiller case — Don McKinney, a man who has been unapologetic about his ties with the Army of God and other anti-choice terrorist organizations. McKinney was dropped from his Special Prosecutor position when Kline lost re-election, much to the chagrin of the anti-choice terrorist set. Interesting, though, is the fact that McKinney’s brother Dennis is the Kansas State House Minority Leader. And a Democrat.
Feeling sick yet?