Activist Jim Finnegan and Joe Scheidler in Naples, FL protesting abortionist Wallace McClaine’s home.
On April 4th, Ann and I arrived in Naples, Florida for a weekend of pro-life activities. First, we attended a reception hosted by the Naples Pro-Life Council featuring Monica Miller speaking on her new book, Abandoned. Monica gave a great talk, emphasizing the helplessness of the unborn baby slated for abortion and the importance of making every effort to rescue those children.
Sidewalk Counseling Seminar
The day after the Naples Pro-Life reception, Ann gave a sidewalk counseling seminar organized by Ed Melone. Following the seminar we visited The Rose Garden, a resale shop whose proceeds support a local crisis pregnancy center.
Naples is home to many Chicago area pro-lifers who have either relocated to Florida or who spend some of the winter in Naples’ hospitable climate. Among the winter residents in the beautiful gulf coast town is my longtime friend Jim Finnegan, who thought our visit would be a great occasion to organize a picket of two local abortionists’ homes. Being a supporter and innovator of hard-hitting approaches to activism, I jumped at the chance.
Picketing Abortionists at Home
Though it’s a controversial tactic, picketing abortionists’ homes has frequently driven abortion workers out of the industry for good. It’s even a chapter in my activism manual, CLOSED: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion. In fact, after a group of Naples pro-life activists carried out a picket outside abortionist Wallace McClaine’s home some years ago, he decided to pull up stakes and quit the business!
So with prayers for conversion in our hearts, on April 7—Divine Mercy Sunday—I joined a group of stalwart activists, including some students from nearby Ave Maria University, to picket the homes of abortionists Philip Waterman from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. and Fernando Betancourt from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Carrying signs calling for the doctors’ repentance as well as pictures of the victims of abortion, we confronted the doctors with the results of their work and alerted the neighborhoods to the kind of men who are living in their midst.
All in all, the trip was a success. Thanks to the Naples Pro-Life Council and all who attended for making this weekend of dynamic pro-life activism a reality!
