Commentary by Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, Operation Rescue

Washington, DC – Earlier this week, the Clinton Library released a number of memos related to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. The most discussed memo, dated January, 1997, concerns her take on the necessity of partial birth abortions and her input by adding language to a statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that favored the now-illegal late-term abortion method.

While Kagan determined that the pro-abortion ACOG was perhaps the most reliable source of medical opinion on Partial-Birth abortions, she cites statements of opposing viewpoints issued by the Society of Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRCH) and “a group of mostly pro-life physicians called PHACT.”

Kagan does not include a written statement from PHACT and only quotes from that organization in part. In contrast to her dismissive attitude toward PHACT, Kagan not only includes a full, two-page statement issued by PRCH on their letterhead, but highlights portions of that statement that agreed with the position in support of partial birth abortion that she advocated.

The Society of Physicians for Reproductive Choice is without a doubt the most extreme organization of abortionists in the nation. It is a group of abortionists who proudly boast of having committed illegal abortions prior to Roe v. Wade and advocate for no restrictions on abortion at all – ever.

These back-alley abortionists violated the law, some for years, committing thousands of illegal abortions. Who knows how many women were maimed or even killed by them. They were never held accountable for their crimes after the issuance of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973.

Among those PRCH abortionists are Curtis Boyd, who now operates the largest late-term abortion mill in the free world in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were there are virtually no laws restricting abortions through the 9th month of pregnancy. Women travel to Albuquerque from all over the country to obtain late-term abortions that are illegal in their home states.

Radical? Extreme? That is only the tip of the iceberg.

The PRCH recently published a list of so-called “Abortion Providers Declaration of Rights” that details their fanatical abortion philosophy. According to this statement, in their perfect world there would be no abortion laws whatsoever, every physician would be forced to receive abortion training, and pro-life First Amendment speech against abortion would be silenced.

But perhaps most disturbing of demands made in the PRCH’s desired “rights” states, “Abortion providers have the right to continue their training and conduct research in abortion techniques.”

In other words, the PRCH wants abortionist to have the right to conduct human experimentation on their unwitting abortion patients in order to develop new ways to dismember, poison, or otherwise kill innocent pre-born babies, many which are viable and healthy. One of their members, Curtis Boyd has already admitted he has done so much in his development of new ways to kill babies in the second trimester of pregnancy.

It simply doesn’t get any more extreme than that. Yet, this is a group that Kagan has taken cues from in the past. The same basic philosophy promoted in the 1997 PRCH memo made its way into the policy statement of ACOG, thanks to recommendations made by Kagan in her own handwriting.

The 1997 ACOG statement, with the PRCH inspired Kagan additions, helped defeat the Federal ban on partial birth abortions that year and prolonged the use of this grisly brain-sucking technique an additional six years until the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 was finally passed and signed into law.

“This memo shows us that Kagan had no problem dictating policy to physicians, just like she is going to dictate policy from the bench,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Any Senator who supports Kagan supports abortion policy in its most extreme form, including abortions through the ninth month of pregnancy and human experimentation on women. This is unthinkable and unconscionable.”

“The American people overwhelmingly oppose late-term abortions and radical abortion policy that is reflected in the Kagan memo. Senators who would have the bad judgment to vote for her confirmation invite serious voter backlash during their next election,” said Newman. “Remember the public outrage expressed when Senators Ben Nelson and Bart Stupak betrayed their pro-life constituency during the debate on tax funding of abortions in health care. Kagan supporters should expect nothing less.”

Wichita, KS — Pro-life activists in Iowa and New Mexico have experienced incidents of vandalism over the past few weeks. The vandalism appears to target local activists who are related in some way to efforts by Operation Rescue to expose abortion in their communities.

“What we are seeing is a violent reaction born out of the increasing frustration of a failing abortion movement. Support for the pro-life position is increasing, while support for abortion is on the decline. Abortion clinics are closing and more abortionists are under investigation or facing criminal charges than ever before,” said Newman. “For those who commit violence against pro-lifers, we want them to know that our response is to pray for our enemies, but at the same time, we will not be intimidated into silence.”

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Truth Truck and the home of a volunteer Truth Truck driver were vandalized after an unknown assailant egged them. This occurred in the first week of June. Perhaps not coincidentally, on June 11, 2010, a 17-year old pro-abortion blogger named “Clay” complained about the Truth Truck and discussed possible responses:

What should we do? Chain someone to their door? Egg their vehicles? Just march and be obnoxious? Should I find a female friend to take charge of the event? Please share thoughts and ideas.

A police report has been filed.

In addition to the Truth Truck presence, Operation Rescue has researched late-term abortions at Curtis Boyd’s Southwestern Women’s Options in Albuquerque and published a 5-part exposé revealing how plans to establish Albuquerque as the next late-term Abortion Capital of the world.

In Iowa, a Dubuque resident filed a police report after vandals spray-painted graffiti that favored abortion on the side of his home. Pro-lifer Allen Troupe was apparently singled out for his beliefs because he displays a sign from Dubuque Right to Life in his window that reads, “Planned Parenthood: Bad for Dubuque.”

Operation Rescue has worked with Dubuque Right to Life to oppose Planned Parenthood’s announced expansion of “telemed abortions” to Dubuque. Operation Rescue has filed complaints with the Iowa Board of Medicine and the Iowa Attorney General’s office asking for investigations of this dangerous push-button, remote controlled abortion pill dispensing scheme without an on-site licensed physician.

To add insult to injury, the local Dubuque newspaper has attempted to turn the obvious attack on a pro-life activist’s home into some kind of “Twilight Zone” kind of pro-life conspiracy to insult Planned Parenthood. At first, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald refused to publish the story about the vandalism. Blogger Jill Stanek reveals that e-mail communications and phone calls to the paper’s editor, Brian Cooper, show that his outlandish opinion was that the vandalism was conducted by a covert pro-lifer or someone without a view on abortion who was trying to make Planned Parenthood look bad.

“This editor’s support for abortion has so clouded his vision that he simply cannot cope with the reality of this attack,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “It is shocking that someone with such a warped view of reality is actually running a local newspaper.”

Attacks on pro-life supporters appear to be on the increase. In the past year, Operation Rescue’s headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, was vandalized twice. Death threats on Operation Rescue’s staff and their families have become common, forcing the implementation of extra security precautions.

Operation Rescue’s Troy Newman and two OR interns join the Survivors for two weeks of “pro-life boot camp”

Los Angeles, CA — Troy Newman went to camp this summer, but not for the canoe trips and cookouts. This camp is a special pro-life activism training camp put on by Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a youth group that is based in the Los Angeles Area.

Newman, along with other national pro-life leaders with years of experience in the abortion trenches, imparted knowledge and wisdom to about 80 enthusiastic young people of the next generation, including Operation Rescue interns Josh Divine and his wife, Elizabeth, of Colorado who are also attending the camp.

The Divines are working with Operation Rescue over the summer doing communications and research on the abortion industry and plan to return to Colorado to their normal routine of college classes in the fall. In the meantime, they are taking advantage of all that an Operation Rescue internship as to offer, and this summer that includes Survivor Camp.

Over the first week of camp they have participated in numerous protests, an in-studio radio interview, and Sunday morning sidewalk counseling at an abortion clinic that operates directly across the street from a Baptist Church. Survivors report that three babies were saved as a result of those efforts.

“Survivor Camp provides a unique experience for young people, whose generation is more pro-life than ever,” said Newman. “It gives them the tools to go from having a pro-life opinion, to actually becoming effective advocates for the pre-born who are able advance that position in the public square, changing hearts and minds of abortion-bound women and the public in general. What we took years to learn through hard experience, they are taught in two weeks. It is an amazing opportunity for young people who want to make a difference in this world for the better.”

Troy will be returning to Operation Rescue’s headquarters in Wichita today while the Divines will remain at camp through the end of the week. Watch for a report from Josh about his experiences next week!