Planned Parenthood of Chicago has launched an on-line prescription service for selling the morning-after birth control pill ("emergency contraception," or "EC") without a visit to a doctor, and the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation is investigating whether this is a violation of the state's medical practice act.
Tony Sanders, a spokesman for the department, said the following in reference to the PPC EC web site: "Illinois requires there to be a physician-patient relationship prior to the dispensing of any controlled substances or prescription drugs. We have taken action, in the case of Viagra, for prescribing medications to patients who were never examined physically by the physician. It's certainly something we'll have to look into" (Chicago Tribune, 6/15/01).
Dr. Gregory Chen, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, noted that problems could occur for women with clotting disorders who take estrogen, which is contained in Preven, a brand of emergency contraception.
While PPC is flouting the law at the expense of women's safety, it is also making $40 for each online assessment in addition to the cost of the EC pills, which PPC sells for an ad-ditional $15.
The June 2001 issue of Contraceptive Technology Update revealed that PPC has budgeted about $200,000 for a comprehensive marketing plan for the online EC program. The ad campaign includes placing posters and wallet-sized fliers in women's restrooms in some 150 bars and nightclubs. The posters feature illustrations of a sperm and a computer mouse, dubbed "Sammy the Sperm" and "Mack the Mouse," with the caption "The Race Is On."
Finally, with this on-line system even young teenagers—both girls and boys—can order these powerful drugs without parental knowledge or consent, and without seeing a doctor. Remember, also, that EC sometimes functions to prevent the implantation of human embryos in the womb. That's an early abortion!
Idaho to get second PP clinic
Planned Parenthood of Idaho has announced plans to open its second clinic in the state according to two reports published in The Idaho Statesman (7/19/01, 7/28/01). PPI already has one clinic in Boise and plans to open the other within six to nine months in Twin Falls.
PPI executive director Rebecca Poedy said, "We expect some people to get wound up. You kind of expect this. There is always that anti-family-planning faction. But if people take the time to study our mission and see what we do, you will see we are pro-family. We are pro-child."
How many times have STOPP supporters heard that bold-faced lie from Planned Parent-hood? How can an organization that makes millions of dollars from aborting over 182,000 babies a year fool anyone with such a statement?
Well, it fooled at least one pastor in Twin Falls. The Rev. Jim Frisbie of the Twin Falls First United Methodist Church has swallowed the PPI lie hook, line and sinker. He said, "I think Planned Parenthood is needed and is long overdue…this organization is not really an abortion referral outfit, but is more about birth control and prenatal care."
Prayer that Rev. Frisbie will stop supporting PP. His facts are incorrect. Planned Parenthood Federation of America reported that in 1999 it performed 19,281 "prenatal care" services while during the same year it performed 182,854 abortions. That means for every incident of "prenatal care" (and it is not clear exactly what PP means by that phrase), PP aborted nearly ten babies.
But not every one in Twin Falls is buying PPI's line of baloney. Pastor Greg Fadness of the Twin Falls Lighthouse Christian Fellowship is against the clinic. Speaking of PP's leanings toward abortion, Pastor Fadness said, "I strongly disagree and oppose that mentality." His church has members who are involved in Twin Falls' Pregnancy Crisis Center which helps women with unwanted pregnancies and recommends abstinence to teen-agers.
The director of the center, Marilyn Scott, said, "Six out of 10 girls who come in thought they were covered because they were on birth control, but they forgot to take their pills every day." She noted that with abstinence these teens could avoid not only pregnancy but sexually transmitted diseases as well.
But PPI's director has a different plan in mind for teens of Twin Falls. She said, "Education is one of our main components." She also noted that Planned Parenthood even goes into the schools if invited. Let's hope the good people of Twin Falls will rise up to keep PP's perverting influence away from their children by telling their school boards that they don't want PP in their schools.
Idaho had only 878 abortions performed within the state in 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control's latest Abortion Surveillance Report. Idaho had an abortion ratio of 47 abortions to every 1,000 live births. Contrast this to California's ratio of 525 to 1,000, New York City's ratio of 849 to 1,000, and the District of Columbia's ratio of over 1000 abortions for every 1000 live births. The only state listed with a lower number of abortions that year was Wyoming, with 192 and a ratio of 30 abortions for every 1000 live births. Wyoming has only one PP clinic.
HBO auction supports PP
HBO is holding a weekly auction on its "Sex and the City" web page, and Planned Parenthood is one of the beneficiaries. The online auction features selected fashion pieces and accessories worn by stars of the show "Sex and The City." The page indicates that Planned Parenthood is one of the four charities that the show's stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall, have chosen to be recipients of the auction's proceeds. STOPP supporters can complain about this funding of Planned Parenthood by leaving a message at HBO's feedback page.
But is HBO the real culprit here? Is it Time-Warner, perhaps, since HBO is a division of Time-Warner? Or, the culprit could be AOL, which acquired Time-Warner in January 2001. Neither HBO nor Time-Warner nor AOL is listed on the April 12, 2001 issue of Life Decisions International's corporate boycott list (call 202-347-2066 or visit LDI for details). Perhaps they should be in light of this.
The Saint Antoninus Institute 2001 Pro-Life Shopping Guide ( call 866-453-4000 or visit St. Antoninus Institute to learn more) does list Time-Warner under its 2001 revised list of corporations funding abortion, citing the Grants Index 1999 and Foundation Grants Index 2001, and noting the relationship between Time-Warner and the Turner Foundation.
The Turner Foundation's president is Ted Turner, vice chairman and senior advisor for AOL/Time-Warner. The Turner Foundation is the Turner family's private organization, which focuses on grants for population control and the environment. Ted Turner is also chairman of the United Nations Foundation, a charitable organization he founded to sup-port United Nations causes.
Thus, perhaps, the blame for the HBO Auction for PP really should be placed on Ted Turner, who is the largest single stockholder in AOL Time-Warner.
The Turner Foundation website shows that in 1999 alone, it gave $1,207,500 in grants to Planned Parenthood. It should come as no surprise that a company Turner helps lead is holding an on-line auction that benefits PP.
STOPP often gets calls asking for a listing of companies to boycott because they support PP. We have recommended both of the lists mentioned above as well as Life Research Institute's "Foundation Giving to Promiscuity Education and Abortion" (call 925-676-2929 or visit LRI to obtain a copy). Readers should be aware that these lists have different purposes and therefore do not list the same companies.
For example, Time-Warner and Wal-mart are on the St. Antoninus list because the families that profited from these companies (Turner, Walton) have foundations that give big sums of money to PP. The Life Decisions list does not list Time-Warner or Wal-mart because, perhaps, they feel they must stick to corporations that directly fund PP. Life Decisions certainly is to be commended for the role it played in the successful boycott of Target Corp., which ended recently. Target's foundation had been giving $18,000 a year to Planned Parenthood.
STOPP understands Life Decisions criterion for placing companies on its list. But individual pro-lifers may want to boycott Ted Turner's companies as well. After all, the Turner Foundation's $1,207,500 contribution to PP in 1999 was 67 times larger than the yearly amount Target gave to PP.
STOPP is not recommending any particular list over another, we are just pointing out the differences. We are happy that these lists do exist and STOPP supporters can use them to fight PP.
Humanist Manifesto 2000
Planned Parenthood is dedicated to spreading the religious doctrine of umanism as defined in the Humanist Manifestos (I & II) and refined in the latest Humanist Manifesto 2000. PP has consistently refused to give our children a clear message of "right" and "wrong." It seeks not to educate our children in moral values, but to indoctrinate them into the humanist philosophy that proclaims there is no objective moral code, and that right and wrong can be decided solely by the individual.
For years STOPP has pointed to the close connections that exist between humanism and Planned Parenthood. For example, Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, was given the 1957 Humanist of the Year Award, which was established by the American Humanist Association. In 1986 the Award went to Faye Wattleton, who at the time was Planned Parenthood Federation of America's president.
Human Manifesto I appeared in 1933, and 34 Americans, including John Dewey, endorsed it. It reflected a nontheistic religious humanism proposed as an alternative to religion. Humanist Manifesto II, drafted by Paul Kurtz, was released in 1973. It dealt with issues such as the creation of the United Nations, the sexual revolution and the growth of the women's movement. Alan Guttmacher, a former PPFA president, signed it.
Humanist Manifesto II defended the right to birth control, abortion, divorce, sexual freedom between consenting adults and euthanasia. A Secular Humanist Declaration was issued in 1980 to defend humanism from the heavy attack it received from religious and political critics (including STOPP) in the US, many of whom maintained that secular humanism is a "religion." The 1980 Declaration responded that secular humanism could not be equated with a religious faith and defended the idea that the secular state should be neutral regarding religion.
Arch-humanist Paul Kurtz also wrote Humanist Manifesto 2000. He is a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo and he is the founder of the International Academy of Humanism. Here are some quotes from the Humanist Manifesto 2000 which will give you some insight into just what secular Humanism is promoting. Page numbers are in brackets.
The problem of population growth has been resolved in the affluent countries of Europe and North America. [16]
(STOPP: But now many of these counties are facing population declines!)
The persistence of traditional spiritual attitudes often encourages unrealistic, escapist, otherworldly approaches to social problems, inculcates a disrespect for science, and all too often defends archaic social institutions. [20-21]
Many religious and political groups opposed contraception or the funding of programs designed to reduce fertility and to stabilize population growth. As a result, economic development and the reduction of poverty are hampered. [21]
Third, naturalists maintain that there is insufficient scientific evidence for spiritual interpretations of reality and the postulation of occult causes. Classical transcendental doctrines no doubt expressed the passionate existential yearnings of human beings wishing to overcome death. The scientific theory of evolution, however, provides a more parsi-monious account of human origins and is based upon the evidence drawn from a wide range of sciences. We decry the efforts of a few scientists, often heralded by the mass media, to impose transcendental interpretations upon natural phenomenon. Neither the standard modern cosmology nor the evolutionary process provides sufficient evidence for intelligent design, which is a leap of faith beyond the empirical evidence. We think it time for humanity to embrace its own adulthood, to leave behind the magical thinking and mythmaking that are substitutes for tested knowledge of nature. [26]
Theological moral doctrines often reflect inherited, pre-scientific conceptions of nature and human nature. Contradictory moral commandments can be drawn from this legacy, and different religions frequently hold widely differing views on moral questions. Theists and transcendentalists have been both for and against slavery, the caste system, war, capital punishment, woman's rights, and monogamy. Sectarian and religionists have often slaughtered each other's adherents with impunity. Many of the terrible wars in the past and the present are inspired by intransigent religious dogmas. We do not deny that religionists have done much good; what we deny is that religious piety is the sole guaran-tee of moral virtue. [29-30]
Humanist ethics thus does not require agreement about theological or religious premises—we may never reach that-but it relates ethical choices ultimately to shared human interests, wants, needs and values. We judge them by their consequences for human hap-piness and social justice. [30]
Humanists have argued for death with dignity and the right of competent adults to refuse medical treatment, reducing unnecessary suffering and even hastening death. [33]
Likewise, we should be prepared to select rationally the new reproductive powers made possible by scientific research-such as in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, genetic engineering, organ transplantation, and cloning. We cannot look back to the moral absolutes of the past for guidance here. We need to respect autonomy of choice. [33-34]
Sexual conduct should be based on the principle of consent. Sex with or marriage to children should not be permitted under any circumstances. [41]
Parents should not deny their children access to education, cultural enrichment, and intellectual stimulation. Although parental moral guidance is vital, parents should not impose their own religious outlook or moral values on their children or indoctrinate them. (STOPP: Read that last sentence again, it's outrageous!) Children, adolescents, and young adults should have exposure to different viewpoints and enjoy encouragement to think for themselves. The views of even young children should be respected. [42]
Students should learn the principles of good health, adequate nutrition, sanitation, and exercise. Included in these should be some understanding of scientific medicine and how the human body functions. The opportunity for appropriate sexual education should be made available from an early age. This should include responsible sexual behavior, family planning, and contraceptive techniques. [43-44]
Discrimination in job opportunity, education, or cultural activities is insupportable. Society should not deny homosexuals, bisexuals or transgendered and transsexuals equal rights. [45]
Women should have the right to control their own bodies. This includes reproductive freedom, voluntary contraception, and abortion. [47]
Couples should have proper information for family planning and the ability to avail themselves of artificial insemination and biogenetic counseling. [48]
Same-sex couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples. [48]
The United Nations Population Fund must be allocated sufficient funding to satisfy the unmet global need for contraception and therefore help stabilize population growth. [59]
On page 41, Humanist Manifesto 2000 says, "Every member of the human species should be secure from physical violence," yet only a few pages later, on page 47, it endorses the physical violence of abortion. If a baby in the womb is not a member of the human species then of what species is it a member?
Humanists are your "one world government" promoters as well. In the Humanist Manifesto 2000, there is a chapter entitled "A New Global Agenda" which promotes population control and "a system of international law that transcends the laws of separate nations." In a chapter entitled "The Need For New Planetary Institutions," Kurtz reveals the humanist goal of converting the UN "from an assembly of sovereign states to an assembly of peoples as well." He says "nation-states must transfer some of their sovereignty to a system of transnational authority." He calls this authority a World Parliament and says it would enact legislation in a democratic manner. He also calls for a world "police force," a world court, an international judiciary, an international environmental monitoring agency, and an international system of taxation.
Before you dismiss Kurtz as a fringe element you should know that among the 141 signers of Humanist Manifesto 2000 were ten Nobel Laureates, entertainer Steve Allen, former U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, biologist/writer Richard Dawkins, Etienne Baulieu (discoverer of RU-486), and abortionist Henry Morgentaler.
One commentator referred to the Humanist Manifestos as "Satan's masterpiece." They certainly are. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the humanists have given their Humanist of the Year Award to PP's Margaret Sanger and Faye Wattleton. After all they seem to be working for the same master.
When Wattleton accepted her award in 1986 she said, "Another reason I am so honored today is because your movement and mine have a great deal in common. There are a number of similarities in our goals…As a result there are similarities in those who oppose us. In fact, there's probably a great deal of controversy over which of our organizations Jerry Falwell would like to abolish first." (The Humanist, July/August 1986, p.6).
Wattleton concluded her acceptance speech by reminding the humanists of what PP's founder, Margaret Sanger, said in 1957 when she accepted her Humanist of the Year Award. Sanger said that reproductive rights "should be the humanist spearhead." Well, it seems as if the Humanist Manifesto 2000 with its promotion of abortion, contraception, homosexuality, artificial insemination and population control would certainly be pleasing to Sanger.
Congressman calls PP "Child Abuse Incorporated"
On May 16, the US House of Representatives voted 218-210 in favor of the Hyde-Barcia-Oberstar-Smith amendment. This amendment removed language in an appropriations bill for the State Department that would have nullified the Mexico City Policy. The International Relations Committee had approved this language weeks before under the seemingly benign title "Global Democracy Promotion Act of 2001." The Mexico City Policy, which is supported by the Bush administration, denies US family planning money to any foreign program that performs or promotes abortion, even if such abortion activities are paid for with the program's other non-U.S. funds. Currently the U.S. sinks about $425 million annually into foreign family planning (birth control) programs.
During the debate, Rep. Henry Hyde noted that the Global Democracy Promotion Act would have "required the US to subsidize abortionists and abortion lobbyists in foreign countries." But it was Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J., pictured) who infuriated Planned Parenthood by his comments, which included the following:
Mr. Chairman, I know that members of Congress are getting blitzed by Planned Parenthood and other abortionists who oppose the Hyde-Barcia-Oberstar-Smith amendment. I appeal to you to resist. I ask you to stand with the victims, both mother and child, and against the victimizers. When we subsidize and lavish federal funds on abortion organi-zations, we empower the child abusers; and Planned Parenthood, make no mistake about it, both here and overseas, is ``Child Abuse, Incorporated.''
Here in the United States, for example, and I would say parenthetically, this is not a domestic amendment, but the example gives you an insight as to what is happening over-seas, Planned Parenthood has been given $2 billion and performed 2.6 million abortions since 1977. That is 2.6 million girls and boys who will never know the joys and challenges of living or the thrill of learning or marrying or playing soccer or raising their own families some day. That is 2.6 million individual dreams and talents and creativity the world will never see.
The loss of children's lives directly attributable to Planned Parenthood is staggering; 2.6 million dead babies and counting. And if that is not enough, Planned Parenthood both lobbies and litigates against virtually every child protection initiative, including parental notification, women's right-to-know laws, abortion funding bans, partial-birth abortion, and, again, most recently, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
Sadly, they do exactly the same thing overseas; and these non-governmental organizations will be affected by this legislation we pass today. Members should be aware that the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which is based in London, is leaving no stone unturned in its misguided, obsessive campaign to legalize abortion on demand. If they succeed, millions of babies will die from the violence of abortion. I urge members, please, let us not add to the body count.
Mr. Chairman, Planned Parenthood's Vision 2000 strategic plan makes it very clear that they want family planning organizations to bring pressures on governments to campaign for abortion on demand. They do not cloak it; they do not disguise it. They wanted to undermine Central and South American countries that protect their babies, as well as Ireland and many other countries…
Planned Parenthood Federation of America's president, Gloria Feldt (pictured), was incensed at Smith's remarks. In a press release the following day she said:
It is a sad day when an elected member of Congress stoops to vile name-calling and defamation to demonize one of the most respected health care providers and advocates for women in the United States and worldwide…But when he called Planned Parenthood "Child Abuse Incorporated" on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 16, Smith went over the line and abandoned any pretense of manners, civility, honesty, or basic decency…
Were Chris Smith a private citizen, his abuse of truth might give us cause for legal action. Because he is a member of Congress, and made his remarks on the floor of the House, his speech is protected beyond that of other Americans…
We are outraged by Representative Smith's reprehensible comments…We challenge him to recant his statement and apologize to the American public.
Almost two months later, STOPP contacted Smith's office for a response to Fedlt's remarks and was told that Smith did not recant as Feldt requested. Good for him! And why should he anyway, when what he said is true and more of his colleagues should be saying exactly the same thing? Thank you Rep. Smith!
As for Feldt's veiled threat that PP might take legal action against a private citizen that said the same thing, that's just a lot of hot air. In fact, STOPP supporters might consider quoting Rep. Smith by using signs in front of PP clinics that say: "PP is Child Abuse, Inc."
Those wishing to drop Rep. Smith a note of thanks can do so by sending it to 2373 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515.
Pro-life court victory
A prolifer gets justice
By Helen Westover
On Jan.22, I was picketing alone in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. I was displaying the picture of abortion victim Malachai, whose name means "witness." I was at the corner of Route 44 and Burnett Blvd., a location I had used for picketing for years. This is close to the Poughkeepsie police department, and they have witnessed my presence often. Many times, as the police cars drove by, cops would wave, and give me "thumbs up" messages. Never had I even been questioned by the police.
You should know that STOPP has a policy on how to act if we are stopped by police. We politely ask, "Am I breaking a law? Which law am I breaking? Is there a local ordinance which prevents me from picketing here?" One hundred percent of the time, there is no law. We then remind the policeman of our First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. Except for one incident in Newburgh, N.Y., where I was physically attacked by a cop (which led to an internal affairs investigation, and an abject apology from the department), this standard line has held, as it should.
On this date, however, after a complaint from a woman whose child was upset by the picture of a "torn baby," a police officer confronted me. He asked, "Do you have a permit?" I replied that I didn't need one. He told me to leave the area. I went through the standard line of questioning. I told him that if he could cite a law that I was breaking, I would indeed leave. I asked him at least four times to tell me which law. Finally, he said, "I don't have to tell you!"
Then I held the sign up, and he grabbed it, looked at it in disgust, and said, "You are holding up a fetus in front of this guy's restaurant" (the restaurant manager had come out to complain that his customers were upset by the sign, which I was holding away from the restaurant). He grabbed the sign and threw it down. I then said, "If you can't tell me what law I am breaking, the only way you can get me to move is to arrest me." So out came the cuffs, and I was shoved into the police car, and brought to the station.
I was handcuffed to the bench in the holding cell while the officer searched for any "priors." Another officer was present, and said, "Maybe we can get her on obstructing traffic!" They both chuckled. After about 45 minutes, I was released. I asked what the charge was, and the officer replied, "disorderly conduct," under which is the subsection on "obstructing traffic."
After my release from the police station, I was dazed but praising God for this unexpected, unsought persecution. I was sure that good was going to come from it. Coincidentally as I was getting in my car, I got a call from the Poughkeepsie Journal, wanting my response on the Roe/Wade anniversary. I told her what had happened but she wasn't interested, since the Journal doesn't cover violations. I even called the paper after I got home and received the same response. Still shaken, I called some of my friends to tell them what had happened.
A few days later, attorney John Kennedy called and offered to take the case pro-bono. He is affiliated with the Thomas Moore Foundation, founded by Tom Monaghan to provide free legal help for prolife activists. The Town of Poughkeepsie offered me an ACD-adjournment in contemplation of dismissal-essentially a guilty plea but with no consequences. However, if you break the law within six months, the charge is reinstated. Naturally, I refused.
Soon afterwards, John filed a notice of claim, which is the first salvo in bringing a lawsuit against the town. The next day, the whole issue appeared on the front page of the Journal's local section. It was a balanced, objective account by reporter Michael Valkys, who covered it all the way with consistent professionalism.
It was after this that we found out that the case was given to the district attorney's office, to a senior assistant DA. It is unprecedented in Poughkeepsie that a violation be given to the DA. Then the games began.
At our first appearance in court, the DA wasn't prepared. A week later, he wasn't prepared. At three weeks, he asked for a month so he can prepare. A month later—whoops! He didn't have time to type it up. I gave him such a look that he actually shook a little. Finally, the charges were so incomplete that my attorney asked for him to do it again, due to "insufficiency." I was "at the intersection of 44 and Burnett Blvd.... holding a large abortion sign, blocking traffic." Didn't say I was in the road, on the sidewalk, or in a tree. The DA rewrote it, with the same deficiencies. Finally, the DA dismissed the first charge, and recharged me with "recklessly" (with intent) obstructing the view of traffic.
By this time, I was really getting upset. My primary source of income is giving piano lessons to students in their homes. Because of the press coverage, I lost one-fourth of my piano students. John Kennedy took an unofficial "poll" of some lawyers who decided, "she's going to jail"-the reason being that the judge was notorious for backing the police, no matter what.
It was at this point that we contacted Chris Ferrara, a writer and attorney for the American Catholic Lawyers of the United States. He is also with Keep the Faith, and lives in New Jersey. He couldn't believe the ridiculousness of the whole thing, and decided to come up to do the cross-examinations.
Chris is the guy who won the case for the group that posted the Nuremberg Files. Their web site was shut down because of the murder of Barnett Slepian, an abortionist in New York. It turned out that the site hadn't mentioned Slepian's existence until after he had been killed, and Chris was able, on First Amendment grounds, to get them back in busi-ness again.
Chris came up the weekend before the trial. That Friday, he and attorney John Kennedy took pictures of me at the scene of the "crime," for about two hours, from every possible angle, in front of the restaurant, on the corner, down the street, etc. Later we spoke to Jim Spratt, a retired traffic expert. What he said was the most unbelievable, because, according to state and federal traffic laws, charges of obstructing traffic at this site were impossible. The reason? Because it is a "controlled intersection," meaning, there are lights to tell drivers when to move. Spratt said, "You could be blind, and still be able to make a right turn safely at that intersection." We were elated. He would be our expert witness.
But still, after all that research, I said to John and Chris, "But we have done our homework, and know this; certainly the prosecution, which has so much to lose, has done their homework too! If we know this, they must as well." So we were still worried. They wouldn't be going this far unless they had something really clever up their sleeves!
Finally, the trial began.
The first witness was the woman who called in the complaint about her child seeing Malachai, and becoming upset. She had called John after following the account in the paper, and was appalled at what they were doing. I guess she didn't tell the DA that, because she and all the rest were witnesses for the prosecution! Her testimony was not only damning to the people, it reassured me about something I need to mention here.
Mid-Hudson STOPP is a parent's rights outfit. We believe only parents have the right to educate their kids about sex, and lots of other things, and this is the primary reason we fight PP. They want to raise our kids, and we have been a constant obstacle to this outrageous undermining of our values. So, when I use an aborted baby sign, I go out of my way to ensure that it is during the hours that kids are in school. As soon as the busses start rolling, I pack up and go home. And in the summer, Malachai goes on vacation, and STOPP uses other signs. He comes back out after Labor Day.
The mother testified that her child saw Malachai because she had picked her up early from school. And, she added, at no time was I obstructing traffic! As she went to leave the room, she gave me "thumbs up" and said, "Good luck, Helen!"
The second witness was the arresting officer. He looked truly like he was walking the last mile. He admitted to the DA and to Chris that he at no time actually saw me ob-structing traffic. He just "advised" me to move to a safer place. He committed only a little bit of perjury by saying that, and denying that he had asked me for a permit.
Two down.
Then came their "surprise witness," a hapless cop who was coming to work, and saw me and the officer interacting at the corner. The DA asked him if he had any idea what our conversation was about. He replied, "uh, no, I was in my car, and all I saw was the offi-cer gesticulating with his hands." Chris's cross-examined him, asking, "did you see the defendant at any time obstructing traffic?" "No, not at any time," he answered.
The DA, trying to recapture some semblance of professional dignity, in his summation, decried the plight of the people who "didn't complain, but suffered" as a result of my "reckless" activity. Chris, stifling a chuckle, said something about the prosecutions' case depending on "phantom" people who didn't complain.
Then the judge threw the case out.
I don't need to mention to you how much of your money was wasted on this case. Not only didn't they have anything whatever up their sleeves, they didn't even have sleeves, and now they are going to lose their shirts.
We intend to continue with our denial of First Amendment rights suit. I hope to go into full-time prolife work with whatever settlement we get.
Editor: Congratulations to Helen and her legal team! Helen was one of the original founders of STOPP when it first started back in 1985. This story is truly a victory that should inspire every STOPP supporter to get out in front of the nearest PP clinic and start picketing in a prayerful and legal manner. STOPP will keep readers informed about the outcome of Helen's suit against the authorities for this unlawful arrest. Remember that you have a RIGHT to free speech in this country. Use it to defend pre-born babies by picketing PP!
Action items
- Invite Ed Szymkowiak or Jim Sedlak to speak in your town. Call 540-659-4171, ask for Rozann.
- Let people know that PP promotes the goals of secular humanism.
- Contact your representatives in Congress today and ask them to eliminate the Title X birth control program when they make decisions on the federal budget this fall.
- Send Rep. Chris Smith a thank you for exposing the evils of PP on the House floor.
- Send a tax deductible donation today to help us keep fighting Planned Parenthood.
- Pray that God will lead us in our work and that we will always have the courage to do His will.
