44 B.C. Baby Rescuers Stay in Jail
104 Pro-lifers held overnight
Sabina McLuhan
In Vancouver, 44 pro-life activists remained in jail till February 23, following an Operation Rescue held there on February 7. And 13 rescuers have been given jail terms plus probation; following their participation in an earlier Rescue on January 21.
On February 7, 104 pro-lifers were arrested during a Rescue at Vancouver’s first free-standing abortuary, the Everywomen’s Health Centre. They were there in defiance of a court injunction obtained by the abortuary operators which prohibited blockades of the centre. The rescuers kept the centre closed from their arrival at 6 a.m., until 3 p.m., when the arrests were completed.
As in the two earlier Vancouver rescues, the pro-lifers were removed from the abortuary on stretchers. Observers note that the police handled the situation well and no force was used against the rescuers.
The 104 rescuers were all charged with contempt of court for disobeying the injunction. All were held in jail overnight when Mr. Justice Lloyd McKenzie, of the B.C. Supreme Court, said that he did not have the time to hear their cases that day. At the time of the arrests, the pro-lifers refused to give their names to police calling themselves Baby John and Baby Jane Doe. This was done in a spirit of solidarity with the preborn children who die anonymously in abortion.
When the rescuers came before the court on February 8, the judge, Mr. Justice Lance Finch, ruled that they could be released if they gave an undertaking that they would appear in court later in the month to answer the contempt-of-court charges and that they would not go within one block of the abortuary. Forty-four rescuers refused to give such an undertaking and were told they would remain in jail until their court appearance. Two of the rescuers who originally signed the undertaking later decided that they could not in conscience do so and have returned to jail. All the rescuers have now given their names to police.
The male rescuers are being held at Oakalla prison and the women are at Lakeside, the jail for female prisoners beside Oakalla. A rescue supporter told The Interim that they are all living among the general prison population although those imprisoned on civil charges are supposed to be segregated. At this time, the names of those held are not available for publication. Some of them are long-time pro-life activists but many are newcomers to the pro-life movement.
Jailed for Life
On February 9, 13 rescuers (identified by the abortionists as “ringleaders” were in court, charged with contempt of court for participating in the January 21 rescue. Four were given 24 days in jail, plus one year’s probation. The rest received 15 days, plus one year’s probation.
The jail sentences are to be served on alternate weekends, ironically the pro-lifers will be in jail on Mother’s Day this year.
Judge McKenzie dismissed the defence of necessity. “Righteousness is no defence,” he told the pro-lifers, adding that there are “no moral standards in abortion.” Despite police videotapes shown to the court that showed there was no violence at the rescue, Judge McKenzie decided that “singing in unity formed a mental barricade and leads to violence.”
In addition to the jail and probation terms, Judge McKenzie held the 13 liable for the costs of the court and that of the abortionists. One estimate puts this at approximately $50,000.
The four who received the longest jail terms are: Mrs. Betty Green, president of Vancouver Right to Life, John Hof, Rev. Don Spratt and Father Vincent Hawkswell, editor of the B.C. Catholic.
Father Hawkswell told The Interim that it was the judge who singled him out as a leader of the rescue. Was he, we asked? No, he laughed. Fr. Hawkswell said he had received tremendous support for his involvement in the rescue. He believes strongly in the rescue movement. “It’s a logical and necessary step to take,” he said. He added that he does not mind going to jail. “It’s a small sentence for us,” he said, “the unborn get life.”
Mrs. Green says that the rescuers and the harsh penalties, have brought many people forward who have not before identified with pro-life. She also believes that the jail term is a “small enough sacrifice.” “We went to court looking for truth and justice” she said, “The unborn didn’t get it, and neither did we.”
The B.C. Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the abortionists’ injunction against the rescuers. Those charged at the February 7 rescue were due to appear in court on February 23. A “Rescue Canada Legal Defence Fund” to help with the court costs of these and future rescuers has now been set up. Donations can be sent (make cheques payable to the “Rescue Canada Legal Defence Fund”), care of Campaign Life Coalition, Delta office, 5480, 8B Avenue, Delta, B.C. V4M 1V6.
