A new group of pro-life activists has started a series of rotating protests outside the homes of the roughly twenty-five Edmonton abortionists who together perform most of the 2,500 abortions in three City hospitals. The group is not affiliated with any other group. Numbers vary between six and twelve. They march up and down in front of the doctor’s house and apartment, praying the rosary and carrying placards with pro-life messages.
Spokesman for the group, Gerard Liston, a 26 year-old teacher, says the group takes its inspiration from a book published by Joseph Scheidler, leader of the Chicago-based Pro-life Action League. Mr. Scheidler takes credit for closing down 49 abortuaries in the U.S. Some doctors have judged that the “house call” protest are ineffective and some others are afraid of violence. Police were called to the scene of a picketing last week, but took no action apart from talking to the picketers.
Mr. Liston hopes to shame the doctors into giving up their baby killing practices. He believes that they are unwilling to have their neighbours know what they do for a living. “They call themselves surgeons,” says Mr. Liston. “We want these doctors to think about what they are doing and to admit that they are killing babies.”
The group plans to continue picketing, although, presently, they do not incorporate other suggestions contained in the Scheidler book, such as confronting abortionists’ families. “We are committed to peaceful, non-violent action.” When asked if this could lead to civil disobedience, Mr. Liston did not rule out the possibility, although stressing it would be non-violent in nature. “The Nazis were finally hunted down and brought to justice for killing Jews. Baby killers should be brought to justice too,” claims Mr. Liston.
