Vandalism against pro-lifers escalates: memorial park desecrated, tires slashed
Elijah Ministries is reporting that its Rachel’s Memorial Park in Waco, TX, was vandalized during the night on June 11. Pastor Rusty Thomas reported in the email:
One of the stations asked if I thought this was in connection to the church moving next door to our local death camp, Planned Parenthood. I told them we have no proof, but surely the timing of this attack is somewhat suspicious. Some may feel we invaded their territory and they felt the compulsion to do the same.
Interestingly, KCEN’s written story originally included this line, “Pro-Life of Waco has contacted Planned Parenthood and asked them to join them in condemning this act,” but that line has now been scrubbed….
This act of pro-abortion vandalism fell on the same day Operation Rescue reported hat all 4 tires of an intern’s car bearing a pro-life bumper sticker had been slashed.
This was the 3rd act of vandalism OR has reported in less than a month. OR is asking for donations to cover the cost of replacing the tires.
While we in the pro-life community notice an uptick in vandalism against us, MSM and liberals don’t.
It seems to me the more ground we gain in the war against legalized abortion, the more we’re seeing pro-aborts act out their frustration and hostility. Stay vigilant but stay alert.
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.
This may seem wimpy, but I think that having pro-life signs on your car is asking for trouble. It’s not as if you can be there to stop them. In a vigil or demonstration, when holding a sign, you are there to confront the would-be vandal. You can’t do that with a parked car, so it is asking for trouble. Best to fight the battles that we can, not the ones we have no control over.
Standing up for what is right is not always convenient, especially if your position is controversial. Given the anger of so many pro-aborts, it may be particularly risky as a Pro-Lifer. So I suppose you may be right that you are “asking for it” with a Pro-Life bumper sticker. But I do not believe that should be a reason not to do so. I have had a few opportunities to speak to people about the issue because of my bumper sticker and license plate. I would hate to miss those chances.
Julie,
I’ve had pro-life and anti-abortion on my automobile for years and have yet to be vandalized. But what does it matter? At some point a frightened and pregnant teenager just might be behind me at a red light or walk past my parked car, and she might not know what to do until she sees the message. She can see it as a coincidence, or it could have been my guardian angel moving me to cross her path.
Well said, Cranky. Great avatar, btw.
At some point a frightened and pregnant teenager just might be behind me at a red light or walk past my parked car, and she might not know what to do until she sees the message.
Well said. Also, based on the testimonies of some women who have had abortions, they felt it was wrong to have second thoughts simply because NO ONE was pro-life in their world. A bumper sticker, no matter how insignificant some may make it seem, reminds people that not *everyone* thinks abortion is okay.
No one is “asking for vandalism” by having a pro-life decal on their car. The only blame in this case is on the vandals who have not followed the law and have refused to engage with the pro-life movement in an adult fashion. They are the ones at fault, not the pro-lifer for having a sticker on their bumper.
For all of the reasons stated above, I am more than willing to suffer damage to my car by having a pro-life bumper sticker. small price to pay.
I guess it is different where I live. Here, a car with a bumper sticker on it, parked anywhere near the downtown (we live central downtown) would be vandalised. We have already had our rear window broken because I lead the 40 days vigil here, and we have no bumper stickers on it. Our insurance will not pay for any more vandalism, and there reaches a point where we can’t be putting our money into fixing the car for this. sorry to disagree with you folks, but I think it depends on where you are. I certainly would not do it here. in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
God bless you Julie Culshaw for leading the 40 days vigil. It is unfortunate that there are people who feel it is fine to trample on the property rights of those who legally express an opinion with which they disagree. If vandalism is so prevalent there, I would hope it has caught the attention of law enforcement or elected city officials.
The police turn a blind eye. They do nothing about the vandalism. One gets the feeling they even support the pro-aborts. Some places are much more hostile than others; I really think that pro-life has much more support in the US than it does in Canada. The atmosphere is very different, living in a country where all abortions are legal and all abortions are paid for. Abortion here is simply considered a medical procedure.
Keep up the fight Americans, it is up to you to battle this one and the rest of us can follow you when you win the battle.
It’s important to get the pro-life message out and what better way than on our cars…we spend so much time in them each day! Car magnets seem more practical than stickers. (I don’t know why more groups don’t offer them.) They don’t have to become a permanent fixture on your car, and if some stranger doesn’t like the message, they might be more apt to steal the magnet than wreck your car. (That happened to me – it was stolen off my car- and it was no big loss as I was able to replace it. My car magnet has the message “Pregnant? Need Help? Call us at: 1-888-4-HOPE-4-1. It’s for Project Gabriel.)
This type of vandalism is par for the course. I believe the Pastor mentioned that this type of destruction is a response to anger or pain. I pray that these culprits look for the post-abortive healing/counseling they need. A loving, compassionate voice is only a “Google” away.
Julie Culshaw,
Thanks for all you do for LIFE. What a shame that Canada has such a pro-abortion mentality. Hmmm….population control must be a priority for them. IMHO, when it comes down to it, that’s what abortion is all about. It’s not really about “saving women”. Would you say they are among the most pro-abortion countries in the world?
Yes, Julie, I’m sorry to hear this too. I remember visiting Nova Scotia as a child, I remember how beautiful it was. It seems like a small, family-oriented place — I’m surprised that you are facing so much hostility.
I live in a neighborhood where there are lots of families. it’s largely Catholic and when i did have a prolife bumper sticker on my car, I didn’t have any problems. In other more “liberal” neighborhoods I did get some dirty looks and one woman pointed at it and laughed. Whatever. I just ignored them.
Hey, Julie- Were you in Ottawa this year for the March for Life? Prolife sympathies and clearly gaining in Canada. I’m there every year and it keeps getting bigger and bigger.
As for me, I don’t paint a target on my car with a blanket pro-life message. Instead, I have a prominently displayed bumper sticker that says, “Pregnant? Need help? Call 1-800-BABY DUE” That way it’s non-confrontational and gives an abortion-vulnerable women some place to go for help. I wish everyone had these stickers instead of just sayings.
Long ago when I was younger, I put a BirthRight bumper sticker on my grandmother’s car (I lived with her then). It said something like “Pregnant? Call us we can help 1-800—LOVE”. We came out of Wal-Mart one day, and someone had stuck a piece of paper over the word LOVE with the word “A**hole!” written on it.
People who vandalize are not only mean-spirited but IMMATURE and CHILDISH.
Wow… Really?
Tell you what… when they start shooting at you and planting bombs under your car… then and only then will I listen to you anti-choicers whine about the violence leveled at you… I bet Dr. Tillers family wished the anti-choice violence they live with everyday was only a slashed tire or two….
Pamela – I would take childish and immature over murderous and righteous any day of the week, as would the families of the Doctors and clinic staff of every Planned Parenthood across the country, not to mention the families who have already had their loved ones murdered at the hands of anti-choice activists…
You guys face slashed tires and torn up anti-choice displays women’s health clinic employees face guns, bombs, and domestic terrorists…
You guys face slashed tires and torn up anti-choice displays women’s health clinic employees face guns, bombs, and domestic terrorists…
…and unborn babies face uterine curettes, cranioclasts, spinal needle syringes, embryotomy scissors, crushing forceps, tire-tetes, vacuum aspirators, cranial perforators, embryotomes, decapitators…
There was a prolife woman who had a knife held to her throat by a pregnant mom going in for an abortion in Duluth, MN. (The mom did change her mind btw)
A prolifer with his sign was shot and killed.
A group with 40 Days had a gun drawn on them by the abortionist.
A few prolife sidewalk counselors have been nearly run over.
But we are just whining.
Violence is violence. You won’t listen? You don’t care, Biggz? Big surprise.
Biggz – that kind of pro-life violence is actually incredibly rare. Don’t forget some pro-lifers do face that kind of rare violence from pro-choice folks too (I forget the name of the man shot holding his pro-life signs). People on both sides of this do face that kind of threat, but statistically it’s not common.
I think people should be able to display whatever stickers they want without having to risk damage due to stupid or immature people.
Likewise, there is no justification for damaging the crosses. Whoever did so should face consequences.
I wonder if it wasn’t just morons who just saw an opportunity to do damage to something which wouldn’t hurt their vehicle, but who knows.
I also wonder why The Central Arkansas Coalition of Reason are being asked to pay $36,000 instead of the usual $5000 as an insurance to run “Are you good without God? Millions are.” signs on buses. Churches running signs aren’t asked to do so. Does this mean that theists are more likely to vandalise than atheists? Atheist billboards are regularly attacked.
Z:
You are a troll. You seem to forget that we have suffered violent attacks. A pro-lifer was shot to death in Michigan just last year. There have been multiple instances of pro-abortion men kicking pregnant girlfriends in their stomach when they refuse to go for an abortion–resulting in death for the unborn baby and sometimes for the mom too. Have you forgotten your hero abortionist Dr. Gosnell who is in prison awaiting trial for the murder of eight babies? 50 million pro-life babies were killed in the wombs of their mothers (and some half way out of the womb) by people you support: pro-abortionists. Eric’s response says it best.
BIggz, there is much more violence committed against pro-lifers than against those who support abortion. Check out this link to see just how much, you don’t see this stuff documented by the media because they are pro-choice for the most part.
http://abortionviolence.com/
I think people should be able to display whatever stickers they want without having to risk damage due to stupid or immature people.
I agree. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, car vandilism is considered against the law and is not justifiable.
I used to have a car with a few non-confrontation pro-life stickers on it: one which said, “We Love Them Both, Choose Life” (with an image of mother and child on it); a Silent No More Awareness sticker, “Women Do Regret Their Abortions and If You Do Too, Call (post-abortion hotline number)”, and a CareNet Sticker which said, “Pregnant? Need Help? Call (pregnancy hotline number)”. Those were static clings, which I put towards the botrom of my back window. Also, I had an “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart (with a note of when the heart starts to beat handwritten at the bottom)” taped in my back window. These days, I just have a Choose Life license plate.
Whoops, the following was supposed to be in italics and was a quote by another commenter, I was responding to:
“I think people should be able to display whatever stickers they want without having to risk damage due to stupid or immature people.”
It’s weird that in an era where even crows nests have web-cams directed at them 24/7, folks who KNOW they’re likely targets of malicious acts aren’t imaginative enough to set up cheap cams to identify perps.
Let your slashed tires count for something!
Tires are slashed? Symbolic graves destroyed… “rolls eyes”
Yes, these acts are to be condemned but man… can you guys play the victim card or what. And the comments here… it’s not a freaking scorecard.
If the “MSM” isn’t reporting on the incidents, submit an I-Report to CNN or contact someone at Fox. Make them report it if you think tire slashing is such a major story.
Suggesting that someone is asking to be victimized for expressing their political opinions is asinine, especially if it is on their own property (their car). The perpetrator is obviously opposed to free speech and is a jerk.
On pro-life vs. pro-choice violence, does it really matter who has perpetrated more crimes against who? Violence is violence, we should be condemning it ALL, not trying to figure out which side does it more.
Biggz,
You are free to create your own abortion violence blog and your hundreds of links will show up there.
Carla – Hiding from the truth huh? That’s hundreds of links to Pro-life violence stories…
So I will just give you the numbers…
8 people murdered
17 attempted murders
383 death threats
153 assaults
3 kidnappings
41 bombings
173 arsons
91 attempted bombings or arsons
619 bomb threats
1630 incidents of trespassing
1264 incidents of vandalism
100 attacks with Butyric Acid
Sorry about your slashed tires…..
Hiding from the truth? Yeah. Right. Whatever you say.
Please take a breath.
All of those numbers are documented and backed up by news stories. Carla just will not let me post the links to them which is ok, just know that I tried.
I have been to abortionviolence.com and I see nothing to back up their numbers. It is like the 40 days saved babies numbers… nothing to back up those claims just hearsay…
I am not advocating for violence on any side but you have to admit those are some scary numbers…
I assume Carla is a mod?
It’s difficult to argue with a mod Biggz. You should know the rules of the internet.
Volunteer – Yes she is and we do not see eye to eye on most things but like she and I both stated it is a ton of links to all the back ground material about those numbers I posted so I do not blame her for denying them. As a mod it is her job to check out all links so that nobody slips in a virus link or something like that and it would take a couple weeks to sort through all the links I tried to post.
I think the numbers speak for themselves… It is a lot more dangerous to be on one side of this argument than on the other side. The Pro-choice side of the argument stopped reporting slashed tires a long time ago as it seemed trivial in comparison to the rest of the stuff we face.
I’m an escort for PP and am aware of the dangers. Thankfully I live in a more progressive part of the US and do not have to face as many dangers as some others do.
LMAO!! What’s escalting!? As far as we know, they did it themselves..as much as PRO-Life lies. A few pvc crosses and a tire? How many people have been killed?…Oh that’s right…only Pro-Life people KILL doctors and clinic workers. Come back when you can show REAL VIOLENCE.
“It is a lot more dangerous to be on one side of this argument than on the other side.”
Thousands of lives are taken by your side everyday.
@ Biggz & Volunteer this article is not a “woe is me look at what those pro-choicers did” it is a warning to pro-lifers to watch out for their property & themselves as these vandalism incidences have been occuring more & more frequently.
You’re right BethanyJ. Stating that the “MSM” isn’t covering the tire slashing story is to warn prolifers to watch out for their property and themselves. It certainly isn’t a “woe is me”, “they aren’t reporting this” angle.
Thank You Volunteer for your service to women and their rights. I see the danger you face every single day out my office window… It cannot be ignored.