For the first time in Alberta, pro-lifers attempted to rescue pre-born children. February 28 at Calgary’s Peter Lougheed Hospital. The hospital has a self-contained abortion ‘clinic’ – accessible to a rescue mission – where 25 abortions are performed each week.
After a combined Catholic-Evangelical prayer service and briefing session at a nearby church, the rescuers set out for the recently opened hospital.
Counsellors
Of the 62 pro-lifers who participated in the rescue mission, 25 actually entered the hospital’s abortion ‘clinic.’ Twelve of them locked themselves to the suction machines, while others blocked the doorways.
Hospital staff prevented the women scheduled for abortions from speaking to counselors stationed in the hallways.
The rest of the pro-lifers either picketed outside or prayed in the hospital chapel.
Calgary police used harsh tactics to get the rescuers’ feet out of the locks. However, many police were supportive and at the jail, they allowed the twelve arrested rescuers to keep their pocket-size New Testament.
Just before the arrests began, the rescuers attempted to give each policeman a copy of A Matter of Conscience – the book about Toronto Constable David Packer’s 1986 decision to protect human life and not abortionists.
The rescue mission was the leading story on the three television stations and on the front page of both newspapers. A spokesman for Peter Lougheed Hospital claimed that despite the disruption, 14 abortions proceeded as scheduled.
Campaign Life Calgary spokesman, Hermina Dykxhoom told The Calgary Herald that the twelve arrested would rather go to jail first than pay the fine if convicted of trespassing.
Abortionists
I don’t see any of us in the clinic stopping doing abortions as a result of this demonstration,” abortionist Jim Currie told the Calgary Herald. The hospital wants to double from 100 to 200 the number of abortions each month. It has asked the Minister of Health for an additional $100,000 to fund the killing.
