Kerry Campaign Responds to Woman Holding Sign Opposing Abortion

talon news ^ | March 16, 2004 | Jimmy Moore

[prairiebreeze]

TAMPA, FL (Talon News) -- A campaign staffer for likely Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) confronted a woman holding a sign opposing abortion at a campaign event.

LifeNews.com reported on Rebecca Porter's encounter with Kerry in Tampa, Florida recently when she decided to create a sign that read, "My abortion hurt me."

Porter stood outside the campaign event holding her sign in plain view of Kerry campaign supporters.

"I almost didn't go because doubt and fear were beginning to set in," Porter told LifeNews.com. "But I went to hold my sign for the people walking in. I did not go as a Bush supporter or as a Republican, but as a woman hurt by abortion."

LifeNews.com reported that one man told Porter that he wished the abortion had killed her as well.

As the Florida director of a group called Operation Outcry Silent No More, Porter said her intention was to simply be a representative of those many women who now regret having had an abortion.

"There was no protest. We were not there to say anything. Just to let our signs speak for us -- and they did, powerfully," Porter revealed to LifeNews.com.

An opportunity for Porter to show her sign to Kerry happened after he finished his speech, which ironically ended with Kerry assuring the crowd that he would support abortion as president.

As Kerry was shaking hands with people in the crowd, Porter stood in his line of sight holding her sign.

"Then it happened," Porter detailed to LifeNews.com. "[Kerry] reached up to shake a hand in the back and his eyes went up to my sign. He read it and then he looked into the crowd to see who was holding it -- and he looked me directly in the eyes."

She added to LifeNews.com, "I hope he saw my pain. I was not angry, just pleading with him to understand. You could see the shock and surprise on his face."

Yet moments later, Porter saw a Kerry campaign staffer approach her and yanked the sign out of her hands.

"You can't have that sign here," the staffer told Porter, according to LifeNews.com.

The Kerry campaign staffer took the sign and "tore it to pieces" before quickly retreating.

"He wouldn't even let me have the pieces," Porter told LifeNews.com.

There has been no comment from the Kerry campaign about this incident.

Porter said she "had done what the Lord had wanted me to accomplish" by holding her sign for Kerry and his supporters to see.

"I hope he will remember my sign and my pain in my eyes," Porter stated to LifeNews.com. "I know there were many people laying in their beds that night thinking about their abortions."

[prairiebreeze]

The party of "tolerance" resorts to intimidation and violence once again.

Prairie

[prairiebreeze]

ping!!

[blanknoone]

Assault? Vandalism? Destruction of personal property?

[grobdriver]

The Kerry campaign staffer took the sign and "tore it to pieces" before quickly retreating.

I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
Dumbocrats are all about free speech!

[AZLiberty]

I like this line from the original story:

Porter tells LifeNews.com that one detractor told her he wished the abortion had killed her. His wife elbowed him in the stomach afterwards.

[ohioWfan]

Wow! Evil..........just plain evil.

Ping, Mr. Silverback??

[mplsconservative]

"Assault? Vandalism? Destruction of personal property?"

I'd say all of the above. Ketchup Boy and company are ruthless and vile.

[ohioWfan]

Porter said she "had done what the Lord had wanted me to accomplish" by holding her sign for Kerry and his supporters to see.

Amen! And the rest of the country can see by the response what the pro-death candidate and his supporters stand for........

[kimmie7]

ping

and

bttt

[Mo1]

Yet moments later, Porter saw a Kerry campaign staffer approach her and yanked the sign out of her hands.

"You can't have that sign here," the staffer told Porter, according to LifeNews.com.

The Kerry campaign staffer took the sign and "tore it to pieces" before quickly retreating.

Gee .. what every happen to Freedom of Speech???

Guess the Kerry camp believes in intimidation

World Leaders on record supporting Kerry

North Korea = Communists

New PM of Spain = Socialist

[proud American in Canada]

I'd read about this thanks to backhoe's collection of Kerry links.

This incident reminds me of Kerry's dismissal of the man who challenged him on the "foreign leaders" comment--Kerry dismissed him by saying, "Are you a Republican? Did you vote for Bush?"

I get the impression Kerry thinks that anyone who doesn't agree with him is not worth listening to and needs to be silenced, which in essence means that half the country should just shut up, in his mind.

Great attitude coming from someone who wants to be the president. Contrast that with GW's specific statements when he first took office--that he wanted to be the president of "all the people."

We might occasionally fault GW for being too polite with the Democrats, but I'd rather have a president with character, not an elitist, arrogant Kerry.

B of T, I pinged you because I saw your post on the thread about Kerry's dismissing that man as a "Republican."

And congratulations to that brave young woman with the sign.

[thoughtomator]

brownshirt fascism

[Corporate Law]

Just imagine the uproar when someone fights back. Cries of those "mean spirited" Republicans will go up quickly.

[finnman69]

I can't believe nno press took photographs of this.

[finnman69]

I can't that any press did not take photographs of this.

[Ingtar]

It needs to be done again, with a video camera and sound link-up.

[william clark]

Note to anyone planning a similar statement. Don't go alone, but with at least one friend who has a camera to record any such incident.

[Peach]

The pro death party is disgraceful.

Also, as the self named "party of tolerance", it always interests me that they cannot stand to hear viewpoints that they do not agree with.

[holden]

"You can't have that sign here," the staffer told Porter, according to LifeNews.com.

The Kerry campaign staffer took the sign and "tore it to pieces" before quickly retreating.

"He wouldn't even let me have the pieces,"

Through this and the response to the man who asked Kerry about which foreign leaders Kerry had met, we see in microcosm how the larger issues would (will? We pray to God that it won't.) be handled under Kerry or whoever the next Democrat President will be.

HF