Michael Bray

Author of A Time To Kill

Violence [read: Force] at Clinics Decreases

Michael Bray
Capitol Area Christian News
Spring, 1997

Violence [read: Force] at Clinics Decreases

So says a headline in the Washington Times (23 Jan.). That is our general impression as well; hence, our joy at the news from Atlanta and Tulsa. Those January rescues were followed quickly by additonal forceful rescue attempts in the past few months in Bozeman, California by John Yankowski and Falls Church, Virginia by James Mitchell.

Nevertheless, prior to these sacrificial and eleemosynary deeds, the recession of forceful intervention was reported by NAF queen Vicki Saporta (AP, 16 January). Queen Vicki had said that the recent Atlanta and Tulsa demolitions showed “that abortion violence is a problem that is continuing at unacceptable levels.” (Amen!)

She mourned about the three arson attempts at the A-Z abortuary in Phoenix, Arisona; an armed robbery at a Planned Barrenhood of Dallas and another in Northeast Texas. Finally, she mentioned that an abortionist was stabbed at a New Orleans abortuary.

We hadn’t heard about the knifing innovation. This is yet another approach to the issue. Certainly this method avoids all the extraneous firearms explosive counts which can be arrayed against a rescuer. But certainly the cons must outweigh the pros when the higher probability of capture is given due consideration to the knifing method. Well, there are lots of choices to be made out there. And we pluralistically-minded Americans can thank the Lord for choices.

It must be confessed said that we are embarrassed, even ashamed, to acknowledge that we knew nothing about this chivalrous fellow until reading an old report lo these several months after the deed was done as we prepare this issue of CACN! Moreover we are still not privy to the man’s name. The report says he “nearly stabbed to death” the first murderer and that he traveled on to a Baton Rouge abortuary with his knife but was arrested 15 minutes before the second murderer arrive.

Again, we blush over our ignorance of this heart-warming effort to eliminate the more deleterious elements of society. And lacking an interview with the man, we don’t know whether he was acting defensively or not. It doesn’t seem like we was protecting any relatives. Our guess is that he might have been responded to the murder of a relative committed some time in the past. He may have been taking on the duty of the blood avenger, dutifully seeking vengeance against the murderer of his own kin (Joshua 20). In this case, the high-handed abortionist was not shameful hiding in a “city of refuge,” but flagrantly going about the shedding of even more innocent blood (Num. 35:27). The audacity! The unholy temerity of a man who spurns the opportunity to flee the blood avenger, repent, and plead for mercy; but who, rather, continues to sin highhandedly!

We pray for acquittal by a righteous judge.

Other stats offered by NAF: 13 death threats against abortionists in 1996 compared with 41 in 1995; 59 in 1994; and 78 in 1993. Bomb threats fell from 41 in 1995 to 13 last year. Altogether, the NAF’s 350 member bastion of abortuaries from sea to shining sea reported 110 violent incidents compared with 158 in 1995, 160 in 1994 and 434 in 1993.

Let us pray for revival. May the glorious decade of the mid eighties to mid nineties be repeated if not improved upon.

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