Most people in the pro-life movement are well aware that President Obama is the most pro-death president this country has ever had to endure. From his first days in office, he has done everything in his power to make sure that abortion is available to any woman who desires one, whether in this country or in foreign lands. As an Illinois senator, Obama couldnʼt even find justification for providing medical care to a child who survived an abortion. Of course, when life begins is a question that is beyond his pay grade, but when it comes to ending the life of a pre-born child, well, then, we can assume that he an expert, and a zealous expert at that.
That is why it came as no surprise that the Obama administration would use the Department of Justice to prosecute a particularly “dangerous” pro- lifer. Are we talking about a clinic bomber or an assassin of abortionists? No. This elderly sidewalk counselorʼs “crime” was to trying to convince abortion-minded women not to kill their unborn children. Heaven forbid a woman might actually change her mind!
Timothy P. Carney, writing in The Washington Examiner, tells the story of this “miscreant,” one Mary Susan Pine. Having had an abortion when she was young and recognizing the pain abortions inflict on most women, Ms. Pine now passes out literature to women who are entering the Presidential Womenʼs Center, which is a lofty name for a place that tears babies into tiny pieces. She hands out literature and urges the recipients to make a life-affirming choice. This action is completely legal. So why did the Feds come down on her? A police officer at the scene filed this report:
A green sedan began to enter the PWC premises through the exit driveway. As soon as Ms. Pine noticed the sedan, she quickly started to walk faster toward the car and stopped at the front side, causing the vehicle to stop. Immediately after the vehicle came to a stop, Ms. Pine approached the driverĘĽs window. The driver rolled the window down, and Ms. Pine proceeded to solicit the male driver and the female passenger. At some point during the conversation, Ms. Pine handed the passengers a pamphlet through the open driverĘĽs side window.
Carney points out that the Department of Justice charged Ms. Pine with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) law. The 1994 statute prohibits any attempt by a group or individual to deny someone access to an abortion clinic. The problem for the Feds was that there was no evidence that Ms. Pine had denied anyone access to the PWC. The clinic destroys surveillance tapes every two weeks, and the Feds, who had charged Ms. Pine the very next day with a federal offense, did not ask for the tape until it had already been destroyed. The Feds also failed to interview the passengers in the car who supposedly had their rights violated.
Carney adds additional disturbing information: “When we throw in the fact that DOJ officials were in touch with the PWC even before the encounter in question, a picture begins to take shape: As soon as Obama and Holder came into office, they started working with abortionists, fishing for pro-lifers to prosecute under this law, however flimsy the grounds.” The judge hearing this case seems to confirm Carneyʼs assertion: “The Court can only wonder whether this action was the product of a concerted effort between the Government and the PWC . . . to quell Ms. Pineʼs activities rather than to vindicate the rights of those allegedly aggrieved by Ms. Pineʼs conduct.” So meritless was the governmentʼs case that the judge issued a summary judgment in favor of Pine and ordered the Department of Justice to pay her $120,000 to cover her expenses.
Still, the Department of Justice is undaunted and has charged other sidewalk counselors for violations of the FACE law. My guess is that should Obama win a second term, the heat will be turned up on sidewalk counselors with crisis pregnancy centers becoming the next target.
That covers the “Protestors” part of my title. The “pizza” part has to do with the report that Denise Illitch, daughter of Little Caesarʼs founder Mike Illitch, will host a million-dollar fundraiser for President Obama at her home on April 18. Interested in attending? For a $40,000 ticket, you can enjoy a cocktail party and have a photo with the President. (If you can afford the price of the ticket, isnʼt it likely that you are one of those hated “one- percenters”? Just asking.) However, if you are financially struggling, then you can attend the dinner for only $10,000. Now thereʼs a bargain!
What concerns me about this fundraiser and others from both sides of the political spectrum is the enormous cost of tickets. I canĘĽt help but think of the hundreds of pregnancy centers who charge anywhere from $20 to $50 per ticket for a dinner, hoping that enough people will attend so they can keep their doors open one more year. If they charge more than $50, thereĘĽs a good chance that no one will attend. And yet some people will pay anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 to rub elbows with a man who never met an abortion he didnĘĽt like.
How long, O Lord? How long?
