Gura is involved in Scheidler’s group Pro-Life Action
On Sept. 2, the editors of this newspaper opined it “would not be a wise move” for “abortion opponents” to picket the homes of Planned Parenthood employees “in an attempt to bring shame on those who work in a facility that performs abortions.”
The day we start accepting advice from a newspaper that refuses to even call us by our correct title, pro-life, we are doomed to failure.
The opinion piece fails to note that protesting in front of abortionist’s house is nothing new. Since 2002 I personally have led more than four dozen pickets in front of the Inverness house of an abortionist. In fact, on June 4, 2004 this newspaper ran a story headlined “It’s peaceful, but protesters out of place at doc’s home,” which reported that the police “have not made (any) arrests nor have they received complaints from neighbors.”
So what exactly happens when we picket in front of an abortionist’s house?
We line the road (staying on the public right-of-way) holding bright yellow and black signs warning that an abortionist lives in this neighborhood. We hold large posters showing stages of fetal development as well as a smiling baby captioned LIFE. While standing (for two hours) we silently pray for the abortionist to use his God-given talents to save lives instead of ending them. We end with Bible readings and a group prayer.
That’s it. No crazed anarchists, no ugly confrontations, no violence. We are pro-life, and we respect and follows God’s laws, including “Thou shalt not kill. “It goes without saying that a five-year record without a single arrest for any reason, not even a single parking ticket, belies the hyped up editorial fears.
Chapter 37 of Joseph Scheidler’s landmark book, “CLOSED: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion” is titled “Picket the Abortionist’s Homes.” Scheidler states, “If it were widely known that they are abortionists they night be very uncomfortable in their communities, and their communities might be uncomfortable with them.”
Thanks to our continuing efforts, all of the abortionist’s neighbors know how he earns a living and, judging from the large number of positive comments I have received, most of them are not comfortable having someone in his profession living in their million dollar plus subdivision. We will never stop praying that he will adopt a more honorable profession, one which allows him to hold himself proud before his fellow man.
Dan Gura
Lake Zurich
Of course, that’s not all Pro-Life Action has done. They are a direct action group that split with Right to Life over it being too timid. Yesterday, I covered two of those actions:
Mar. 26, 1986 — Members of Pro Life Action Network (PLAN), a coalition co-founded by Scheidler and which Scheidler called the “pro-life mafia”, invade a clinic in Pensacola, FL. They throw the clinic administrator down the stairs, injure a NOW chapter president, and destroy medical equipment. The clinic is forced to close for days. According to NOW, “Joe Scheidler stands outside during the invasion, praising those who went in and taking credit for the mayhem.” (From the NOW website: http://www.nowfoundation.org/issues/reproductive/scheidler-timeline.html)
As I mentioned when Keyes came to the state:
For example, in Delaware, Joseph Scheidler and three other large men illegally entered a clinic, trapping the clinic administrator inside. The men put the phones on hold ? effectively cutting her off from the outside world ? and told her they were there to “case the place.” This was shortly after several clinics had been bombed. In another incident, Scheidler went to Pensacola and met with John Burt and Joan Andrews. Together, they discussed and planned an event to take place at the Ladies Center.
The next day, while Scheidler was outside doing “P.R.” (he did not want to get arrested), Burt, Andrews and two others burst into the clinic, shoved the administrator to the floor and slammed an escort up against a wall. Then they went upstairs to wreck equipment.
Still more evidence of force and violence came as the jury heard from a doctor who had been stalked, her house surrounded, and her life threatened. She was also physically assaulted by Monica Miller and Matt Trewhella.
The jury also heard evidence of scores of blockades, which deprived people of access to the clinics, and where people were assaulted for daring to try to enter. One woman, who was going to see her doctor for postoperative surgery (surgery that in no way was related to abortion and that had been done to try and save her reproductive organs), was hit over the head with a picketer’s sign. And the jury heard more.