Since the successful police raid on July 5, the Morgentaler clinic has been effectively shut down. Drs. Robert Scott and Leslie Smoling were charged with performing illegal abortions, and with the inclusion of Morgentaler, all three were charged with the conspiracy to produce a miscarriage.

All three men opted for trial by jury and the date for the trial will be set in September. In the meantime, all three are out of jail with bail set for $3,000 each.

Crown Attorney Al Cooper was not satisfied with the lack of conditions set on the bail, and the trio was served with notice that the granting of bail would be appealed. This appeal was to be heard on July 28.

During the raid at the clinic, police removed the equipment for performing abortions and this is being held as evidence. At the moment, then, the clinic is open for counseling purposes only, although the “counseling” appears mainly to be concerned with shipping women out to Morgentaler’s Quebec clinics.

More equipment has been purchased and is being installed. Clinic organizer, Judy Rebick, states that there are now many doctors who have pledged their willingness to perform abortions at the clinic and thus put themselves in the position of being arrested.

The abortionist’s tactics will be to have a pair of doctors performing abortions, probably daily. As they deliberately flout the law, they will be arrested. For each pair of doctors arrested, another will step forward to take their place. They want this to happen, they are planning for it, and they are banking on a considerable outcry from the media and the pro-death advocates who will loudly scream “police harassment.”

The police strategy on July 5 was far from “harassment” and this could clearly be seen in television coverage. The police had two ambulance buses and a gynaecologist standing by in the case any woman in the clinic needed medical attention. The woman patients in the clinic were helped to leave the building by a rear exit, under police escort, with their faces hidden under towels. No woman “patients” at the clinic were charged.

In stark contrast to the calm, professional manner of the police, was the raving, lunatic behaviour of the pro-abortion groupies waiting outside the clinic. These people tried to link hands to prevent the police from leaving the clinic with the equipment; the police were subject to heavy verbal abuse; and there was at least one attempt to provoke police retaliation when one woman struck a police officer and threw his cap on the ground. It was not a spontaneous outpouring of anger by a group of people who had had enough, it was a deliberate attempt by the pro-abortionists to provoke police retaliation so that they could manipulate media coverage and substantiate their claims of police harassment. The strategy failed miserably, the police remained in complete control of the situation.

From that moment, then, there is a lull in the battle. Morgentaler, Scott and Smoling are lying low. Clinic organizer, Judy Rebick, has left for a vacation in Russia. Ms. Rebick was for 10 years the leader of the revolutionary workers’ group, the Marxist-Leninist League of Canada. She left that group two years ago, over a policy disagreement. She has stated, however, that she still supports the group’s aims. She has further said that she is a member of the New Democratic Party.

Pro-lifers are now writing letter after letter to the law enforcers, letting the authorities know that the majority of responsible citizens of the province support them in their efforts to uphold the law.

It is essential at this point that the authorities hear from pro-life individuals in ever-increasing numbers. It takes time to write a letter, and the result is that effort has a great impact.

Toronto Right to Life is circulating their membership, asking them to write letters to the following:

Mr. Al Cooper is the crown attorney assigned to prosecute this case. He is in the front-line of the battle, and he is, and will continue to be, attacked vociferously by the pro-abortionists and the media. Let him know that you are in complete agreement with him for upholding the law. He can be reached at the Crown Attorney’s Office, 361 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1T3.

Chief Jack Ackroyd is the Chief of the Metropolitan Police whose officers behaved with complete professionalism in a very difficult situation. Write to Chief Ackroyd and tell him how much you admire his men for their competent handling of this situation. Chief Jack Ackroyd’s address is Metropolitan police Headquarters, 590 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2J5.

The Honourable Roy McMurtry is the Attorney General for Ontario. Mr. McMurtry has consistently repeated that he will uphold the law. Let him know that you support his actions and you will continue to support any action that upholds the law. The Attorney General of Ontario’s office is at 18 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4.

We are fortunate in Ontario that we do have competent professional men who will not stand by and see the law flouted. We must show them that their stand is applauded by the majority in the province. A short to-the-point letter will have enormous impact.