And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the “lone wolf” hypothesis personified.
Just let me point out the cognitive gymnastics Kirsten Powers is performing here: A Muslim man is not necessarily a terrorist, but could be; however, an abortion clinic bomber is never a terrorist because that person is crazy and is totally and 100% not representative of the pro-life movement.
So… just like the miniscule minority of Muslims who commit terrorism are not representative of the overwhelming peaceful majority who follow the teachings of Islam?
Just so we’re clear, domestic terrorism motivated by radical anti-choice ideology is just that — terrorism.
I just can’t…
There’s a long history of anti-choice terrorism.
Bombing abortion clinics, threatening their staff…KILLING THEM - terrorism. Point blank.
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Anti-Abortionist Stabs Man At Protest Outside of Planned Parenthood →
This is horrible. But kudos to this woman and her father for fighting back against a bigot trying to block access to a Planned Parenthood. We need a mass struggle to utterly demolish the anti-woman, anti-abortion movement in this country and send it into the dustbin of history next to the likes of the old Witch-hunters, Prohibitionists, and Anti-Miscegenationists.
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GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A man was stabbed Tuesday during a violent confrontation with an abortion protester outside a Planned Parenthood health center, police said.
Ted Clair was stabbed seven times in the abdomen and neck during a fight with Christopher Tolhurst, who had signs denouncing abortion and Planned Parenthood, officials said.
Witnesses said that earlier in the day, Clair’s 22-year-old daughter, Kailah Clair, argued with Tolhurst and kicked over his protest signs, Lt. Dennis Ward said.
They said Tolhurst pushed the woman, and she returned later with her father, who confronted Tolhurst.
Ward said in a statement that witnesses reported Ted Clair pushed Tolhurst to the ground and punched him “numerous times” in the face, and then Tolhurst stabbed Clair.
Tolhurst’s signs denounced abortion and Planned Parenthood, but Planned Parenthood for Southwestern Oregon spokeswoman Sarah Mosely said that clinic only provides health services and doesn’t perform abortions.
Neighbor Charlotte Cook said the protester accosted people coming and going through the area.
“It was an accident looking for a place to happen,” she said.
Cherie Adams said he would yell obscenities at her when she walked past him, and she changed her route to work.
“He’s been out there for months,” she said. “He’s screaming at people. I had a feeling something like this would happen.”
This is so gross and disturbing because it would have been very simple to stop this from happening if something had been done when the harassment started, at the very beginning. Harassment needs to be illegal and harassment victims deserve legal protections.
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ALERT: Prominent Tumblr Catholic advocates violence and destruction in the name of the pro-life cause.
While he claims it is “immoral” to directly attack a human being involved in abortion clinics, he advocates the physical destruction, through violent means, of the clinic itself, and if someone happens to get killed or injured, he implies that no prison time need be assigned to the perpetrator, just “compensation” to the victims’ families, as though their car had been totaled or their ox had been gored.
Worse, he actually frames violence as a moral imperative here:
one has a moral responsibility to come to the direct aid of the weaker and prevent the stronger from abusing or killing the weaker person, and if no peaceful option is available, violence used in defense of that person can be permissible.
THIS LANGUAGE CAN INCITE VIOLENCE. This language clearly suggests that it is not only permissible to act out violently against facilities where abortions are performed (which, nota bene, can include hospitals and private doctor’s offices in addition to designated clinics) but a moral imperative.
These are dangerous words and constitute an incitement to violence which is a violation of Tumblr’s terms of service.
Unlawful Uses and Content. This one’s pretty obvious, but Tumblr is not a place for illegal behavior, including fraud, phishing, or illegally inciting violence.
Telling impressionable teen Catholics, the bulk of Nikosnature’s followers, that they have a moral obligation to take violent measures to stop abortion—those are “fighting words” ie “shouting fire in a crowded theatre.” PLEASE CONTACT TUMBLR if you are concerned about them hosting this content:
abuse@tumblr.com
Shamelessly reblogging my own post to make sure it keeps circulating. So far as I know he’s still standing by his opinions on this.
(Source: frauluther, via searchingforknowledge)
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New Hampshire Sheriff Candidate Says He's Willing to Use Deadly Force to Stop Abortions →
Republican candidate for Hillsborough County Sheriff, Frank Szabo, said today that he would arrest any doctor performing elective abortions in his jurisdiction. Further, he wouldn’t be opposed to using deadly force:
“I would respond specifically by saying that if someone is under threat, a full-grown human being, if they’re under threat, what should the sheriff do? Everything in their power to prevent them from being harmed,” he said.
When pressed about what he would do if he learned that a doctor was about to perform an elective abortion, Szabo replied he would do what it took to prevent that from happening.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Well, I would hope that it wouldn’t come to that, as with any situation where someone is in danger, but again, specifically talking about elective abortions and late-term abortions, that is an act that needs to be stopped.”
Even if the abortion was legal in the state of New Hampshire, Szabo says that as sheriff, he would not need to answer to any higher authority or public official.
While Szabo has no law enforcement background, he claims his business experience qualifies him for the job.
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FYI
It doesn’t really matter if oh-snap-pro-lifers sent any harassing messages to prochoicetruth. It doesn’t matter that they say they don’t support harassment, or that they’ve deleted their post saying that finding prochoicetruth’s name and location was awesome.
(Mostly because screenshots are forever)
What does matter is that they are part of a movement that says it’s okay, even laudable, to threaten pro-choice people, physicians, and clinic employees and volunteers. By spreading lies about the effects of abortion and deeming people who get or perform abortions baby-killers, they foster an environment of violent vigilante justice, as seen in the campaign against prochoicetruth, in the dozens of arsons and bombings of clinics, in the harassment and murder of doctors and employees, and in the stalking of children.
We can counter the toxic environment the anti-choice movement has created. We can put pressure on our representatives to stop creating anti-choice bills, and start creating bills that protect pregnant people and physicians, that support reproductive choice, families and children. We can let others know that we are there to help them access safe, legal abortion. We can educate and inform, and never stop learning. We can donate to abortion funds to ensure that no person goes without care because of the cost. We can volunteer at abortion funds and pro-choice counseling hotlines. We can be everyday reproductive justice heroes.
There are so, so many ways to help create a healthy, loving, pro-choice environment. What are you going to do?
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Anti-choicers have been running a campaign to force prochoicetruth off Tumblr. They found their name, the school they attend, and the year they’re in. Prochoicetruth has also been receiving horrific rape and death threats, and have decided to take a break from Tumblr.
The harassment and threats are supported by oh-snap-pro-lifers and, I would expect, by a number of other anti-choice bloggers as well.
So next time an anti-choicer whines about getting insults or cursing in their inbox, remember that you don’t even have to work at a clinic to have your life put in danger by anti-choice terrorists.
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Wichita Anti-Choice Leaders Raising Funds for Multi-Million Dollar "Pro-Life Memorial" As Children Suffer From Budget Cuts →
In the midst of tax and budget cuts so severe they are poised, in the words of former Kansas Republican Chairwoman, Rochelle Chronister to take the state to the edge of a “finanical cliff,” Kansas is in a serious crisis. Referring to a recent tax bill signed, sealed, and delivered by Governor Sam Brownback, Chronister stated:
“The governor has taken us to the financial cliff, and only he has the ability to stop us from going over. This is not a game. The magnitude of this bill cannot be overstated, and the impact that it will have on our communities and schools will be real and unforgiving.”
That impact is already being felt as, for example, deep cuts are made in social support programs and state spending, putting vulnerable children at risk. Shannon Cotsoradis President of the child advocacy group, Kansas Action for Children, said further tax cuts, “will have devastating consequences for Kansas children and families.”
Ms. Cotsoradis has been watching Governor Brownback and his administration closely this session as attempts have been made to strip children of vital programs and services at every turn. In response to the tax bill Kansas Action for Children said in a statement:
A new report produced by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that the only income group that will see their taxes increase under the tax bill recently signed by Gov. Sam Brownback are the poorest 20 percent of Kansans, those with an average income of just $11,000.
That group will pay about $148 more in state taxes, while the wealthiest 20 percent of Kansans will see their tax burden drop $21,087 on average. This tax plan will begin to negatively affect the Kansas budget as soon as next year. By 2018, the bill is expected to cost the state $4.5 billion.
Yet while Kansas children may not be getting social support, what the state is getting is a great-big Liberace-esque multi-million dollar “pro-life” memorial for which millions of dollars are being raised. A group led by Wichita anti-choice leaders, Mark Rotola and Mark Holick, has embarked upon what they are calling an “ambitious project,” but would more aptly be dubbed a monument of their perceived victory by assassination. Wichita is the location of the life, work and ultimate assassination three years ago this past May of Dr. George Tiller, a physician that provided abortion care here. The announcement of the memorial was released just one week after the third anniversary of his murder in his own church…
Read more at the link.
This just … makes me sick.
(Source: stfueverything, via rabbleprochoice)
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There are FIVE states in the US that have only ONE health clinic that offers abortion services.
Wyoming
North Dakota
South Dakota
Arkansas
Mississippi
And the only reason Mississippi’s clinic is still open is because a federal judge has extended their temporary ban on the state’s new TRAP law (Targeted Regulations Against Abortion Providers)
There are actually three clinics in Arkansas, but two of them (both Planned Parenthoods) only offer the abortion pill, which is effective up to 9 weeks after your last period. Little Rock Family Planning Services provides abortions up to 21 weeks.
This is how anti-choicers prevent people from accessing abortion - not through legislation, but through stigma and threat of violence against providers. Two of three doctors at the Mississippi clinic fly in from out of state, because no local doctors/hospitals want to face the certain severe consequences from their colleagues, patients, family, and friends, as well as harassment and violence from anti-choice extremists.
(via stfuprolifers)
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OR we trust the pregnant person to make their own decisions and want any choice they make to be safe and healthy.
—Maria
Anyone else see the implicit encouragement/acceptance of violence against people who get abortions, abortion providers, clinic workers, activists, etc. in this poster? “They aren’t like us. They don’t love their children like we do. They don’t value human life. They don’t respect pregnant people. They kill babies, and they want to kill ours, too.”
There’s a reason 1 in 3 American women* get abortions (this includes anti-choicers who say these exact same things before and after they get their safe and legal abortion), yet supposedly few of us know anyone who’s had one.
(Source: stacyolney)
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People don’t want to admit that pro-lifers are religious terrorists.
Sorry. That’s what they are. When you threaten people, try to prevent access to clinics, fire-bomb clinics, threaten doctors, release their personal information, and in some cases kill them, that is terrorism.
I’m sorry that society at large in the US doesn’t want to call it what it is because of it’s affiliation with Christianity and its pretty name, but when you support pro-life activists, you are supporting domestic terrorism.
(via rabbleprochoice)
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You have no understanding of the concept of pro-life if you think pro-life means valuing a fetus/baby over a woman. Pro-life is about life in all instances.
By taking bodily autonomy away from women!
And murdering abortion providers!
And bombing clinics!
And removing federal funding for breast exams and cervical cancer screenings simply because the organization also provides abortions!
Love,
Rabble
Pathetic. You know, the notion of stereotyping a diverse group of people based on unfounded assumptions sounds awfully familiar … oh wait. Racism? Sexism? Newsflash: the vast majority of pro lifers are not terrorists, and do not condone such actions. Neither do we believe that legitimate medical procedures should be affected because of the abortion debate. Please stop misrepresenting pro lifers, and focus on the actual arguments at hand.
Yeah, you know what?
This isn’t unfounded.
The majority of pro-lifers aren’t terrorists but they create the environment that allows for pro-life terrorists to flourish. Pro-lifers that refer to abortion as murder and imply (or straight up say) that it deserves to be punished, or refer to abortion providers as “baby killers”, or feel it’s appropriate to misuse private medical information to send letters to family members of patients announcing that the patient had an abortion…none of that is factual but if creates an environment that allows people to truly see abortion as a form of murder (which it isn’t, as defined by law) and decide to take this issue into their own hands in the form of clinic bombs and guns pointed at abortion providers heads.
Pro-lifers spit out all this vitriol and hate and violent rhetoric about abortion but then stand by and hold up their hands when someone actually takes them at their word. Pro-lifers are responsible for creating pro-life terrorists and there are LOTS of pro-lifers who may not necessarily blow up a clinic or murder a doctor themselves but they’ll be happy about it because the doctor was stopped or the clinic has been shut down. It doesn’t matter what the means of doing it are as long as abortion is taken away.
And even if you don’t want to believe that, pro-lifers DO support legislation that teaches abstinence-only sex ed. They DO support legislation that puts restrictions on birth control to completely ban it. They DO support denying funding to organizations that provide abortions even though those organizations provide life-saving preventative care in the form of cancer screenings and referrals.
It’s not pro-life to remove funding for breast exams when breast exams could save people’s lives. It’s not pro-life to remove funding for pap smears to check for cancerous cells. People die when you remove those programs. If pro-lifers REALLY cared about life in all instances then they wouldn’t want to take away funding that saves lives. If pro-lifers were truly concerned about life in all instances then they would support legislation that increases comprehensive sex ed (since that is one of the biggest factors in lowering the abortion rate) and greater access to contraceptives.
But they don’t because pro-lifers want to punish people who choose to have sex.
Abortion IS a legitimate medical procedure. Do you have a medical degree? Only a physician should decided what are and are not legitimate medical procedures. And if abortion is truly not a legitimate medical procedure, why don’t pro-lifers also protest elective plastic surgery? People certainly die from complications from that much more than an abortion, which is one of the safest surgeries a person can have.
It’s not misrepresentation when it’s true.
Love,
Rabble
(Source: happyonaccident)
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"They gather all these people up, they fill them with hate and then they stand back when the least imbalanced among them does something; they stand back and say they didn’t have anything to do with it."
Joan Armentrout, the clinic office administrator for Dr. Tiller’s clinic, talking about anti-choicers who use violent and hateful words to inspire violence against clinics and doctors but then claim that they aren’t responsible when physical violence is perpetuated by people who acted on their words.
Love,
Rabble
(via rabbleprochoice)
(via prolifehypocrisy)
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THIS IS A PATTERN OF TERRORISM. Please note the last week in this very month.
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In the last 10 days, 2 repro health clinics and 1 repro health org have been victims of arson. This shit is real.
For a full list of confirmed anti-choice terrorist acts in the United States (meaning the number is without a doubt much higher), you can check Wikipedia’s page dedicated specifically to anti-abortion violence.
Funnily enough, there doesn’t seem to be a page for pro-choice terrorism.
(Source: keepyourbsoutofmyuterus)
