Posted on 06/08/2008 9:56:44 AM PDT by kellynla
The founder of one of the anti-abortion movement's most famous organizations said Friday in Wichita that the movement is badly weakened --"on the ropes" -- in part because the nation's clergy have lost their desire to pursue the cause and in part because young people don't care.
Speaking at a news conference he called at the Hyatt Regency Wichita, Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry said the movement has lost steam because religious leaders have lost courage, young people have lost interest, and many churches fear taking on the fight.
While some leaders of the anti-abortion movement were willing to endorse presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, who supports abortion rights,Terry said, he was arrested earlier this year protesting abortion outside one of Giuliani's campaign offices in New Hampshire.
Reporters at the news conference asked Terry if another reason for weakness in the movement might be infighting between him and other anti-abortion leaders, such as Troy Newman.
Terry, who's based in Washington, D.C., is suing Newman, of Wichita, over the use of the name Operation Rescue.
Terry, who founded Operation Rescue in the late 1980s, denounced Newman, who for years led an organization called Operation Rescue West, saying he was "deceitful" and "fraudulent" for registering the name Operation Rescue with the U.S. trademark office and using it for his anti-abortion organization.
As evidence of the bickering, Terry ordered four people who showed up with video cameras at the news conference to leave, saying that Newman had sent them to disrupt the event. When one of the men refused, Terry asked hotel officials to call police, who arrived to remove the man.
Newman, contacted later, said, "I am saddened that Randall Terry chose to attack a fellow colleague. As I recall, the last time he showed up in Wichita, it was to attack abortion clinics."
Newman said it is Terry who has lost his way, that the movement Terry founded years ago is strong and successful, and that he will prevail against Terry in the lawsuit.
Terry said Newman can more easily raise money for his cause and himself if he uses the name that Terry made famous when he helped organize huge sit-ins outside George Tiller's abortion clinic in the so-called "Summer Of Mercy" in Wichita in 1991.
"This is about history," Terry said. Newman, he said, never took the risks or the lumps he did.
By that Terry meant that it was he who organized Operation Rescue, he who got arrested multiple times on behalf of the cause, he who lost his house and savings in legal battles with abortion-rights advocates.
The two men, in separate interviews, found cause to praise each other, if only faintly.
Newman said he owns every book and nearly every video Terry ever produced.
Terry applauded Newman's recent work against Tiller.
Newman, along with anti-abortion groups such as Kansans for Life, helped generate signatures to petition for a citizen grand jury to investigate Tiller's late-term abortion practices. The grand jury is still convened.
"I'm doing exactly what Randall Terry asked us to do 15 years ago," Newman said.
He said Terry's statement that the anti-abortion movement has weakened "is more evidence that he's been absent without leave from the movement for many years."
It is certainly true that Planned Parenthood has never enjoyed as many seats in congress and as may governorships as it has today, but those are easy pickings for them.
The hard work is being done. Some friends of mine are celebrating the closing of yet another abortion clinic at a special Mass next week, in fact.
I’m thinking that the majority of the nation’s clergy these days are flaming Leftists. I haven’t been able to find a reasonable church in the People’s Republic of California. So many of our ministers spout Socialism from the pulpit that it’s too depressing to go anymore.
Public opinion is more pro-life, especially among young people, than it has been in decades. Perhaps Mr. Randall’s fundraising is down.
Yesterday’s Walk for Life in Austin, Texas — sponsored by Texas Alliance for Life — shows strong support and interest.
Pictures and statistics, here:
https://texasallianceforlife.org/Walk2008/MapAustin.asp
Home Page, here
https://texasallianceforlife.org/Walk2008/Default.asp
(I wasn’t there, but I’m on the Board of Directors for TAL. There are two more coming up. One in Sequin, Texas in 2 weeks, then one in Georgetown, north of Austin on June 28.)
I go to this parish on Sunset, and most of the times we have gay masses, multi-cultural masses and anti-war masses.
Pretty much Pelosi’s wet dream. BUT I have witnessed women “priests”,,,ATTEMPT to lead mass and parishioners actually get up and leave, so my parish is an interesting one.
Another time, the priest didn;t say mass but has “trouble” making the donations, so the entire Gospel he made the entire congregation sign a “pledge” to increase our contributions.
Then one of the parishioners whispered out loud “what is this, Communist Russia?” You could hear laughter at the back aisles.
I’m not “anti choice” I’m “pro life” or “pro life rights activists”.
I love how the media never takes sides....
That’s good reason enough to leave that “church”. My parish is the only Catholic church within a 5 mile radius that I can walk to...and that administers mass in English (a majority of the time) in Spanish majority Mexifornia.
This is all over an inter-office fight between two groups of pro-lifers. Terry wants you to think that the movement is over because he isn’t getting what he wants. Ignore him. Pro-life Kansas is alive and well.
I live north of LA and am a Methodist. I fear my whole church has gone so far left that it will never recover.
“I live north of LA and am a Methodist. I fear my whole church has gone so far left that it will never recover.”
Well ya know some of our best Catholics are former Methodists. BIG SMILE
Randall Terry is a very difficult guy. He moved to my town and lived here for a couple of years, even running for office, but he is a poor speaker, full of hostility, and doesn’t play well with others.
I don’t think the anti-abortion movement is “out of steam,” and in fact, I see more bishops getting behind it and finally being willing to put their money where their mouth is.
Anyway, one of my friends is a former mechanical engineer at NASA who spent all her vacation days in jail, becuase she worked with operation rescue. Now she's a Sister in one of the fastest growing orders in the world. That's not losing steam -- quite the opposite.
The culture of life is growing -- what did I hear someone say once, "the sound of one dead branch falling is a lot louder than that of a thousand seedlings springing up."
I learned of this group over the weekend: some local folks want to hold a fundraiser to put these ads in the NY subway system. I can't wait to send my check.
Wow! Those are very powerful! I hope they can get them up there. The abortion clinic ads in the subway are appalling.
The subways are filled with death-death-death.
Anyway, I hope you'll offer a prayer for the intention.
Fixed the first sentence.
The problem with the pro life movement is real simple: Protestant church leadership is compromised and weak or non existent
The IRS has them by the you know what's
In the last twenty years my opinion of the Catholic Church has risen dramatically do to the fearless positions the church has taken with the pro life position.
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