Halfway There: Truth, but No Legal Consequences

From Lifesite News:

South Dakota Law Goes Into Effect: Women Must be Told They Are “Terminating the Life of a Whole Separate, Unique Living Human Being”

By Jenna Murphy

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA, July 22, 2008, (LifeSiteNews.com) – This past Friday, a law mandating that South Dakota’s physicians tell all women seeking an abortion that they are “terminating the life of a whole separate, unique living human being” went into effect.

Though the state law was passed in 2005, Planned Parenthood successfully challenged the legislation in the courts, causing a preliminary injunction to be established that prevented the law from being put into effect.

That injunction, however, expired on Friday, and now all physicians performing abortions at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux Falls – the state’s only acknowledged abortuary – must present the client with the specific language as it has been formulated by law. A woman must certify in writing that she understands no earlier than two hours before the procedure is conducted (Slevin, Washington Post, 7/20).

The law also mandates that a woman who seeks an abortion must be told that she is willingly putting herself at a higher risk of suicide and depression and that in choosing to end the life of her child she is terminating an ‘existing relationship’ that is protected by the US constitution and that her “existing constitutional rights with regards to that relationship will be terminated.”

Another related law took effect on July 1, requiring doctors in South Dakota to ask a woman seeking an abortion if she wants to see a sonogram of her baby.

About 700 abortions are performed in South Dakota each year.

Although 32 states have informed consent regulations, South Dakota is the only state that includes the reference to an unborn baby as “a whole, separate, unique living human being.”

Defenders of the Unborn

Last Saturday, I had the privilege to be present with about 300 people praying and keeping vigil at the abortion mill on Forest Park Parkway.  The event was sponsored by the Defenders of the Unborn, the wonderful pro-life group headed by Mary Maschmeier.  It was a very moving experience, with the best and the worst that humanity has to offer on display.

Operation Rescue’s  Truth Truck (in effect, a mobile billboard with pictures of slaughtered babies that brings the truth about the results of abortion immediately to mind) did cause quite a stir. Here is a recounting from the Operation Rescue site:

Truth Truck “Held Hostage” At St. Louis Planned Parenthood

Security guards block Truth Truck from leaving parking lot, help abortion-bound women see the horrific truth about abortion

St. Louis, MO – Operation Rescue’s Truth Truck, driven by Mark Gietzen, caused a stir the St. Louis Planned Parenthood abortion mill on Saturday, July 19, 2008, when he drove onto their parking lot and parked near the front door as abortion-bound women entered the facility.

Security guards for Planned Parenthood immediately rushed to close the parking lot’s iron gates to prevent the Truth Truck from leaving while they summoned the police. But this action turned out for the good, allowing the Truth Truck to witness to the women in the parking lot for longer than it would have otherwise.

Gietzen was convinced that his actions were completely legal.

“They did not have the proper signage to keep me off the lot,” he said.

Apparently the police agreed. Officers made the Planned Parenthood security guards open the gate and allow the Truth Truck to leave as over 300 pro-lifers cheered.

“You would think if Planned Parenthood didn’t want their patients to see the Truth Truck, they would have let Mark drive on, instead of holding him hostage,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “By locking the Truth Truck into their parking lot, they were accomplishing our work for us!”

Gietzen and the Truth Truck were in St. Louis to attend the Walls Of Jericho Event hosted by the Defenders of the Unborn.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS

[Thanks to Tracy Mathews for her photos and on site report.]

_____________________

No one knows, of course, how many women change their minds about having an abortion simply by seeing such a crowd of witnesses for life.  The truck’s presence while blocked in had many employees and “clients” gawking from the building to see what was going on.

Workers from the mill stooped to the most petty tactics to try to annoy the witnesses.  While a large group rosary was being prayed, employees came out to the parking lot, started their cars, and blared their radios to drown out the prayers.  Like we were Manuel Noriega or something. Ironically, the first song that began to play was Ring of Fire, by Johnny Cash– you know– “down, down, down, in a burning ring of fire.”  Well that tactic didn’t work so well because everyone just prayed louder.  

They also employ “escorts” to hurry people from their cars into the building.  I am sure they would say it was to keep their clients “safe” (from the dangers of hearing the rosary?) but in reality it is to keep them from the freedom of choice if that phrase means they are free to change their minds.

But the best news I learned later.  A young woman who had previously cancelled an ultrasound appointment with a crisis pregnancy center (she told them she was going to have the abortion and set an appointment at the mill for that Saturday) saw the crowd of people keeping vigil as she drove onto the lot and immediately left.  She went back to the crisis pregnancy center for her ultrasound.  She told the people there to tell those at the abortion mill that when she saw them she just could not go through with it– she will have her baby.

Like I said, it was a great privilege.  I had never before kept vigil at the mill, and I have no good reason why this was so.  There is a group of people that pray the rosary every Saturday at 6:30am.  There is a group that stands vigil every fourth Saturday from 9-11am.  There are other groups– I believe, but am not sure– every Saturday from 9-11am.  You can contact Mary for information at defenseless@sbcglobal.net.