Letters to the Editor

Dear Joe,

Bart’s enclosed picture

Congratulations on your victory over NOW. It was such a long, hard battle for you and your family. All pro-lifers are pleased that your dedication and perseverance for the cause of life was successful.

I just couldn’t help myself and had to show Planned Parenthood my pleasure with your victory. See enclosed picture.

Sincerely yours,

Bart J. Gaffney, Co-Chair, Champlain Valley Right to Life, Inc. Jay, NY

Hi there,

My name is Angela and I am 24 years old and the office administrator for Queensland Right to Life in Brisbane Australia. I just watched your sidewalk counseling video and I wanted to write to say thank you for what you are doing! You have inspired me to do more to stand up for life.

When I was younger I used to pray outside abortion clinics with my mother, but the last couple of years I haven’t done so. Although I am totally and passionately pro-life, I felt that sidewalk counselors were a bit fanatical and weird. However, I have changed my mind.

The people in your video were so full of the love of Christ. I feel convicted and feel that I should really pray about going out there to the abortion clinics. I might start first with praying outside the clinics first though. I also thought Annie [Casselman] was lovely. Being a young person, she inspired me to get out there also.

Thank you for the wonderful work you do. May God Bless you in your amazing work.

Angela Hayes, Brisbane, Australia

Dear Joe,

I belong to a police and fire family. What you wrote about the police tells me the problem is yours. You will be looking for the same police to protect you when you are being opposed. Large numbers of police tell me they expected trouble and were there to help. I can’t support you!

M.L., Park Ridge, IL

Editor’s Note: This letter was in response to a May 1 letter from Joe Scheidler which included an account of the League’s negative encounter with the Chicago Police on April 12. The following is an exceprt from League Communications Director Eric Scheidler’s response:

Dear ML,

. . . . I want to assure you that we have the greatest respect for the police, and that my father only drew attention to the negative experience on April 12 because it was so unusual.

In my work coordinating Face the Truth Tours and other pro-life protests, it has been my privilege to work with police officers all over the state, including state troopers, county sheriff’s officers, campus security and municipal police. In my experience, police officers are almost always cooperative and professional, and my close involvement with them out on the street has inspired a tremendous respect for them and admiration for the fine work they do.

This is especially true of the Chicago Police, whose professionalism and respect for our right to protest abortion are outstanding. That is why our experience on April 12 was so remarkable, and so troubling. The belligerent attitude of the Chicago Police sergeant who questioned me about my children’s involvement in the Face the Truth demonstration was so utterly different from the positive experience we’ve come to expect from the Chicago police.

You’re absolutely right that when we face threatening or even violent opposition, we will turn to the police for protection. We’ve been able to count on them so often in the past. They in turn have been able to count on us to treat them with deference and do all that we can to accommodate their safety concerns. . . .

Yours for Life,

Eric J. Scheidler