Kerry Campaign Responds to Woman Holding Sign Opposing Abortion

TalonNews.com ^ | March 16, 2004 | Jimmy Moore

[PointRight]

Kerry Campaign Responds to Woman Holding Sign Opposing Abortion By Jimmy Moore Talon News March 16, 2004

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 yank 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."

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.

[John Thornton]

The poor woman is lucky they let her live.

[areafiftyone]

So much for Free Speech from the liberals! HYPOCRITES!

[FormerLib]

Would it be too much to request that Sen. Kerry's designated protester-control thugs wear brown shirts?

[Argus]

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

Such inflammatory language. The correct term for the procedure performed on this woman's sign is "dilation and curetage".

[BadAndy]

Soviet Commisars would be proud.

[Semper Paratus]

Thin skinned they are. Prime meat for a freeping.

[MississippiMan]

Since when do political campaign workers have the right to destroy private property? Not that anything will be done about it. If a Bush supporter did the same to a pro-abortion protester, we'd never hear the end of it from the media.

MM

[Integrityrocks]

This sort of double standards is so transparent... hate speech against the Right is ok, but not against them, hate towards ProLifer's is ok, but ot against baby killers, hate, hate, hate, its all ok, as long as it doesn't target any of their own...and they call us bigots... sad, sad, sad.

[1Old Pro]

I guess we'll just have to encourage more women hurt by abortions (most of them I'm sure) to bring these signs to ALL Kerry outings. They apparently struck a nerve.

[GrandMoM]

BTTT

[jtminton]

Note to self: Laminate any signs brought to Kerry rally.

[marty60]

FASCIST PIGS at work.

[finnman69]

Next time get pictures of this happening. Otherwise it's a non-story.

[blanknoone]

I saw this article yesterday...what was the Kerry campaign's response in the headline?

[ZOTnot]

I'm glad to know where he stands. Not that I would have voted for him , but here, our Gov ran on a campaign of pro-life until he was voted into office. For two successive years however, he vetoed pro-life legislation. This year is seems bound and determined to veto the "Laci Peterson bill' which the legislature just passed, making it a felony to harm both a mother and the fetus.

[Spok]

As president, Kerry would probably have had the Secret Service sweat her for 8 or 10 hours, the had the IRS audit her tax returns.

Does anyone remember the Mendozas? Why is that outrage less than an overlooked footnote to the Clinton presidency?

[theDentist]

Sounds like a copy of the sign should be brought to all the Kerry stump speeches by freepers and bodyguards.

[Iron Matron]

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

I dont advocate frivolous lawsuits, but if that POS did that to ME - I would file an assault charge. Even if I did not win/had no chance of winning.

Why do regular people take that kind of abuse? HOWL LOUDLY and OFTEN when abused by visiting socialists!

[Bonaparte]

By now, it's expected. Hillary's goons beat people up in NYC for daring to publicly express their political opinions. Kerry's goons assault a woman for lawfully expressing her position. It's SOP for democrats.