Jivin J’s Life Links 12-23-10
by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat
- The federal government has filed suit against an abortion clinic protester named David Hamilton who is accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act by using force against an abortion clinic escort and intimidating women seeking abortions in Louisville. The suit seeks to prevent Hamilton from coming within “8 feet of anyone obtaining or providing services at EMW Women’s Surgical Center, the only abortion clinic in Louisville.”
- From the article, it sounds like the feds don’t have much of a case or any reason to be filing suit:
In an interview, Hamilton, 26, said he moved to Houston in July and that the lawsuit “is out of the blue to me.”
- Hamilton said that before he moved, he had regularly tried to counsel women as they entered the Louisville clinic, but never pushed or shoved anyone.
- Harford County in MD and the pro-life organization Defend Life have reached a settlement after pro-lifers sued when their free speech rights were violated during a 2008 protest:“We have settled with the county revolving around the strip searches in the county detention center,” Matt Paavola, the lawyer for the anti-abortion organization… said Monday.
“[The settlement] was very amicable and the county was very accommodating,” Paavola said, adding that the county was also apologetic in the matter.
The town of Bel Air and the state of Maryland are still defendants in the lawsuit.
“I never touched the girl going into the clinic,” he said of the Jan. 30 incident, which led to his arrest. “I didn’t come close to touching her. I said what I had to say and kept walking.”
Hamilton acknowledged he moved the arm of one of the two escorts out of his way, as he talked with the woman walking inside, but didn’t try to hurt or stop anyone. He said the officer saw only the escorts’ reactions and charged him.
Clinic director Anne Ahola said she didn’t know about the suit or remember details about the January incident, but she said she wishes there was a buffer zone between the protesters and those trying to enter to ensure safety.
[Photo via courier-journal.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
A buffer zone to ensure the safety of all but the most vulnerable… :(
We have known for some time that the FBI and other law enforcement entities have been zeroing in on pro-lifers.
http://www.lifenews.com/2010/09/30/nat-6740/
It really is no surprise that this suit was filed. Time will tell if the defendant is guilty of anything, but if the situation is anything like most of a similar nature we will find out that the police did not do their job or that someone lied to the police.
In the meanwhile we will continue focusing our energies on saving the vulnerable and defenseless unborn babies, the very lives that law enforcement should be looking to protect.
I love this quote:
“From the article, it sounds like the feds don’t have much of a case or any reason to be filing suit”
And the source of that certainty? The accused.
:-)
Ex:
I hope you learned something from the link. Here is a shock: Not all people accused of crimes are guilty.
The link in the article? Broken for me – doesn’t go anywhere.
I do agree with you Jerry – and I mean in this case, he must be innocent – he himself said so!
Repub Gov Walker voter (maybe we should call you the ex ex?):
You may mock the accused of proclaiming his innocence, but I guess you will just have to take it as an article of faith. After seeing this kind of thing now for over three decades where in dozens of cases pro-life counselors and/or protesters have endured harassment from officials (and there are many more instances that I am sure I have never even heard about) when the accused said he did not do it, and explained the circumstances, it is almost as if it is a flashback scene to other events I have personally witnessed. I will presume his innocence, not just as a matter of law and principle, but also as a matter of experience.
Believe it or not, ex, there are patterns of harassment against pro-lifers across the country. Many people do not find this the least bit troubling…after all the pro-lifers are “getting what they deserve”. You can find the same cowboys and choicers in law enforcement in just about any city in the country who are more than willing to teach these pro-lifers a lesson.
If you are a betting man, ex, it would be a pretty good wager that Mr. Hamilton will ultimately be exonerated. Everything in the brief article about his alleged misdeeds fits the pattern to a “T”.
ah, the “buffer zone”. Just to make sure women have no last minute change of mind.
Just to make sure abortion is all about “choice”.
It’s sad, but this happened to a man in Ohio who protests with us. They cried foul on the man and lied saying h
e,d grabbed the woman.
testing
Well – I can speak for myself. I’ve been doing sidewalk counseling at our local PP for over 7 years now , and I can say from experience, the abortion people will use any excuse to call the police. And the police come out, and they know me as an honest, law-abiding citizen. No worries.
In one case, they called the police because a woman and her dog came by to chat. Her dog sat on the sidewalk in the exit ramp from the parking lot. No cars came in or out, and if they had, I would have advised the woman to move her dog. PP called the police, saying that the protesters blocked people from going in, even though there were no patrons, and we talked for only a few minutes. She frequently came by to say hello. The woman was ill, and she was pro-choice, by the way. The police said everything was fine, and I did not go to jail. They know that PP exaggerates what is being done.
Or another time when a patron leaving in her car, had her driver-side window stuck and told her young daughter to get out of the back seat of the car to get the pamphlet I was handing out (we give out information about free food, free medical care, places to get furniture, shelter, post abortion counseling, referrals for other services, etc.). The girl started falling out of the car – and I asked her mother for permission to come and help. Yes she gave permission, thanked me as I helped her daughter, and yes – PP called the police. No problems there, either…
I have more stories, but you get the idea….
So the clinics frequently call the police hoping to harass the people on the sidewalk so they will stop being outside their clinic.
I must second what Joy said. These pro-deathers are so angry that we pro-lifers come there. They will use any excuse to call the cops. Many times the cops stop by for a friendly chat. Many are pro-life, but some are not. The abortion clinic we protest is right next door to a day care! The bus driver always gives us a friendly honk and wave.
The sidewalk counselor shouldn’t have touched the clinic escort, but with that said, it’s not unusual for clinic escorts to dishonestly over-exaggerate offenses and fabricate and feign injuries to gain the support of the local police and pro-choice activists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but more often than not the severity of the offense is over-exaggerated.