The violent anti-abortion faction so vaunted by the media and pro-abortionists throughout Canada and the U.S appears to consist of only about a half-dozen people.

  • John Broeckhoeft—was imprisoned for arson attacks against abortuaries in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Florida.
  • Paul Hill—killed abortionist John Britton and escort James Barrett in Pensacola, Florida.
  • Michael Griffin—killed abortionist David Gunn in Pensacola, Florida in March 1993.
  • Shelley Shannon—shot and wounded Kansas abortionist George Tiller in August 1993 and has been charged in connection with arson and acid attacks on nine abortuaries in the western U.S.
  • John Salvi—convicted for a shooting rampage at an abortuary in Brooklyn, Mass. in December 1994 which killed two people and injured five.
  • Michael Bray—served four years in prison for bombing American abortuaries during the 1980s.

Apart from these people, however, attention has also been focused on individuals who have not participated in violent action, but who have supported or condoned it at one time or another.

These include:

  • Roy McMillan—of Christian Action Group in Jackson, Miss. He is said to be a supporter of “justifiable homicide” against abortionists.
  • Andrew Burnett—of Advocates for Life Ministries in Portland, Ore. has printed articles in the Life Advocate magazine defending violence.
  • A priest in the southern U.S who has attempted to place newspaper advertisements calling for the shooting of abortionists.
  • In Canada, Gordon Watson of B.C. was quoted in the August 23, 1994 Vancouver Sun as saying, “I do condone violence,” though he added that, “I don’t promote it, I don’t advocate it.”

Sabina McLuhan, a writer for The Interim says one would be hard-pressed to find a Canadian or American anti-abortion group of more than a handful of people which condones violence.

“Some idiot somewhere decides he’s going to call himself something and the media are quite uncritical in looking at these people,” she says. “They just say, ‘Oh, look—here’s an example of pro-life violence.’ The fact is, it’s just one of a handful of people who hold that particular position, but because we (pro-lifers) are unpopular, we’re tarnished with the same brush.”

McLuhan dismisses the media tactic of linking the pro-life cause with violence after a violent individual attends a mainstream pro-life event. “You can meet with people not knowing they hold (violent) view, or if you know it, you can meet with them hoping to change their minds. It’s not necessarily suspicious.”