Feminist throws shoe at pro-life leader
The pink, sparkly ballet shoe [pictured above] was hurled towards David Bereit, one of America’s most outspoken anti-abortion advocates, on Saturday night…
The shoe’s owner, Megan Clement-Couzner [pictured below left] – who belongs to the Sydney based feminist group “F Collective” – said the “symbolic” attack was to interrupt Mr. Bereit and had been modelled on the [President George] Bush attack…
The women threw pink glitter around the room, also known as “glitter bombing”, to symbolise how similar anti-abortion politics were to “anti-queer” politics.
The song F— the pain away by feminist musician Peaches was also played as the protesters linked arms and yelled: “This is for all the women who’ve died in backyard abortions.”
~ Article in The Sydney Morning Herald, September 5, describing the chaotic scene at a pro-life conference held in Sydney, Australia, during a presentation by 40 Days for Life National Director David Bereit
[HT: Shawn; photos via The Sydney Morning Herald]
“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.” Matthew 5:11
19 likes
How convenient to forget all of the women who have died in “safe, legal” abortions!!
No compassion for Tonya Reaves ladies??!!
Oh and seeing David Bereit speak in person is a MUST!! Absolutely on fire!!
33 likes
How many little aborted girls would have loved to get a pair of pink, sparkly ballet shoes for their birthdays?
37 likes
surprise, surprise. At their wordpress blog, they moderate all comments before posting. le sigh.
16 likes
Carla and Praxedes, you took the words right out of my mouth. The disconnect pro-aborts have is amazing.
11 likes
I hate glitter-bombing. All I can ever think of is the poor crew who has to clean that up. Glitter is the herpes of the craft world: it gets everywhere and never really goes away. Way to make a bunch of people’s jobs harder, just to score some vague point that could have been far better articulated in a variety of non-messy ways.
I always wish someone would do a photo essay of janitorial workers cleaning up the after-math of these kinds of “attention-grabbing” stunts, after everyone has gone home and all that’s left is piles of glitter in every nook and cranny, and the slow, quiet, endless work of the men and women with the cleaning supplies.
25 likes
The song F— the pain away by feminist musician Peaches was also played as the protesters linked arms and yelled: “This is for all the women who’ve died in backyard abortions.”
Klassy.
Honestly, I would have no idea by watching this whole mess what point they were really trying to make.
14 likes
Aaaaaaaaand who are the angry, hateful less tolerant ones again??
I pray they keep it up!! They are doing our jobs for us.
23 likes
Alexandra – I also hate glitter bombing – you’re right, it never goes away.
A bigger problem with glitter bombing: it can cause serious damage to the cornea. Even plastic glitter flakes can get caught under the eyelid and scratch the heck out a cornea. Multiple flakes in the eyes becomes very serious, very quickly. They can slash an eye up like micro-razor blades. (Yes, I know someone this happened to.)
23 likes
The Australian Christian Lobby condemned Thursday’s announcement saying in a statement: “Women facing unsupported pregnancy should be offered real choices by our society, not a dangerous chemical to poison their unborn child.”
17 likes
I’d put the whole incident down to insanity, stimulated in part by the incendiary lyrics from Peaches. The question of whether they get their minds back might be helped in part by either criminal prosecution or civil suit.
Throwing even ballet slippers needs to be taken seriously, because it will only encourage the crazies to up the ante.
13 likes
Well as far as the actual footwear involved, I guess the first question is: did they throw ballet slippers, or pointe shoes? Pointe shoes can do some damage! :P
10 likes
I suppose the lassies had to settle for Peaches, because the all girl, ’Pussy Riot’, feminista band is minus 3 gals for 3 years and one other ms-ing member is in poltitical exile for the foreseeable future.
Now there is a real war on women.
[Apparently the Russian government is still seeking the balance on that ‘free speech’ concept.]
Maybe the Code Pinko Vigilante Vuhgynuhs will pay Vladimir Putin a curtsey call.
That would be political theatre I would pay to see.
pp passed out free hot pink condoms at the recent DNC.
If the purpose was to encourage the use of condoms, then why hand out free male condoms that are only availabe in ’pink’?
Other than the members of the ‘thimhooskwatoopee’ tribe, what self respecting male would don a ‘hot pink’ prophylactic?
And ‘No’, there were no free female condoms availabe…in any color.
These gals seem to have forgotten that only girls get pregnant.
8 likes
Ballet slippers aren’t generally sparkly, unless they’re spraypainted, so I expect it was a satin pointe shoe, which are more lightcatching.
“F-ing the pain away” is, I understand, quite common among post-abortive women; but promiscuity tends to create more pain, so it’s like fighting a fire by pouring gasoline on it. But it also creates more unplanned pregnancies, stds, fractured psyches…and return customers to the local chop shop.
And yes, if they’re going to be honest about women who’ve died from abortion, they need to at least include, as Christine does at realchoices, those who have died from legal abortions. Perhaps there could be an annual prolife event remembering them…sans the glitter, missile hurling, ad nauseam. And post names; of documented cases of women who died from illegal abortions, and from legal ones.
18 likes
lol jtm I’ve never really seen a pointe shoe I’d consider glittery – I figured the glittery shoe itself was someone’s craft project either way, but mostly I was just poking fun at Chris’ “throwing even a ballet slipper should be taken seriously” because a pointe shoe to the head would be no joke!
7 likes
Oh, and details like whether the mill that did the abortion was a NAF member or PP facility.
And don’t forget the unborn women who have also died in “safe” legal abortions…they’re not beside the pointe.
16 likes
Throwing something when upset can get a student labeled EBD.
EBD stands for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.
When grown-ups do it, it is no longer a label but a diagnoses.
11 likes
^ Somebody should tell SHOES THROWER. :P
13 likes
Jill, the good news is that a.) the shoe missed me by a long shot (they didn’t have very good aim) and b.) I brought the shoe home as my favorite Australian souvenir!
It is interesting that they got so upset about peaceful prayer efforts. They certainly wouldn’t go to all this trouble if Aussie pro-life initiatives (including 40 Days for Life and many other wonderful ministries) weren’t making a profound difference.
Here’s where you can see a picture from inside the dinner as I led the audience in the Lord’s Prayer during the disruption:
http://flickr.com/gp/phillyadrian/6hWkD0/
Fortunately, the young lady who commandeered the lectern couldn’t get her toy megaphone to work. :-)
Ah, the fun we pro-lifers get to have!
Keep up the great work, Jill. Everywhere I went in Australia, people told me what a great job you did speaking all across the country. You are awesome!!
David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life
30 likes
David,
I would suggest you keep a baby booty spotted with red paint to toss back if such an event should happen again. But then, they might just wear it around their neck like a primitive would a lion’s tooth.
12 likes
Wow. Imagine how much glitter you’d need to represent all the unborn children dead.
11 likes
I always wish someone would do a photo essay of janitorial workers cleaning up the after-math of these kinds of “attention-grabbing” stunts, after everyone has gone home and all that’s left is piles of glitter in every nook and cranny, and the slow, quiet, endless work of the men and women with the cleaning supplies
Maybe they’re able to get some overtime.
There’s a kind of glitter that comes in big (well, relatively) big squares that is too big to go into the eyes, I forget what it’s called.
5 likes
I think glitter bombing should be charged as assault. What if it gets into someone’s eye? That can seriously scratch your cornea! It’s insane! I *hate* glitter!!!
8 likes
phillymiss,
Clutter (still). ;)
How ’bout them Eagles? Hoo boy!
:#
2 likes
Keep that ballerina slipper as a prized reminder–when something like this happens, you have hit a nerve and your arguments are working.
11 likes
Hey Alexandra – if she did throw a pointe shoe – then at least she’d be making a pointe. As it is, she just comes across as slipper-y. (or is that slipper-less?) heh
8 likes
Of course the shoe missed you, Mr. Bereit….
’cause she throws like a girl. ;).
On the other topic: I have been a school janitor, and I’ve been a church janitor.
Glitter is the bane of my existence! ;)
6 likes
Good to see you’re alright, David. To be hated on by their types is a honor.
8 likes
This was actually an unusually mature protest on their part as it does not seem to have included any dancing genitalia.
12 likes
JDC, lol!
David, G’day! I’m jealous! I want my own heaved ballet slipper! I didn’t raise nearly the ruckus in AU. I’m so disappointed in myself.
8 likes
The picture above is of the actual shoe used (or the lonely partner shoe, taken later) as supplied to the SMH by the perpetrator. It looks like a child’s slipper.
Here’s an article written by my friend Cath who followed David’s tour around Aus and describes this incident as well as some other highlights:
http://www.lifenetwork.org.au/_blog/Latest_News/post/Life_Breakthru_Tour/
I spoke at one of David’s Aussie events, and we were interrupted too. Just as I was finishing my presentation, a woman stood up in the back row and started to speak about the devastation abortion has caused in her life and the great need for woman to have access to truth and support when faced with a distressing pregnancy. We do listen to women, and abortion is hurting them far more than a weakly lobbed slipper ever could.
David, it was a great encouragement to meet you. (You too, Jill!) We covet your prayers for the unborn of Australia.
8 likes
lol, Chris! Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure that back in my “career days,” after a show or a couple classes my pointe shoes could be considered a biological weapon…
Man, people are lucky I’m not into throwing shoes. Between the pointe shoes of my youth and the steel-toed work boots of today, I could do some damage. I suppose we are all lucky that I was taught to “use my words” somewhere around age 4 or so.
8 likes
The piece about trying to tie abortion rights to “queer rights” was interesting. On the one hand, homosexuality doesn’t lend itself to reproduction, unless they do something very un-homosexual. Secondly: 1. those who favor homosexual behavior typically justify it by saying “its genetic” or “they are made that way” 2. with the rise of all manner of tests (genetic, etc) on the unborn, it is only a matter of time before they start trying to market some sort of “test” for pre-natal identification sexual orientation (probably not a very accurate one to boot) 3. If Planned Parenthood doesn’t even bat an eyelash at killing baby girls for being female, they aren’t going to start moralizing over the person who comes to them wanting to abort perceived “gay” babies. 4. Hence, Planned Parenthood stands ready to kill off perceived homosexuals before birth. Where do our glitter-shod feminists stand on this issue? After their support of sex-selective abortions, we all should know the answer to THAT question.
7 likes
@Hans-How about them? They looked terrible! But a win is a win no matter how ugly.
2 likes
I wonder how many of these gals are post abortive women who can’t or won’t come to terms with the gravity of their actions? Instead they blare a fog horn, chant and throw shoes.
Sad sad sad. I hope each one finds peace and healing.
7 likes
It is a beautiful shoe. I like the bow and the color itself. It’s cute. This is the kind of shoe pro life activist women and girls should wear. The killing of innocent unborn babies is not beautiful and that shoe does not fit the personality of a pro abortion activist.
3 likes