On February 7, 1989 the first prison sentences were handed out to 13 people who had picketed Vancouver’s Everywoman’s abortuary on January 21, 1989. Four of these were declared “leaders” by the judge and sentenced to 24 days in prison to be served on weekends.
While these thirteen were being sentenced, 104 prolifers blocked the abortuary, now protected by an injunction. They were all arrested and held in jail overnight.
The next day, February 8, Ash Wednesday, 59 promised the Court they would not return right away; they were released. Forty-four would not give the judge this assurance and, therefore, were held until their trial was completed. This began on February 27 and lasted till March 6. All in all, they spent 27 days in jail.
On February 23, Judge Josiah Wood changed the civil charges into criminal ones.
On February 27, 102 prolifers appeared in court. Three were absent on business. The trial opened with Justice Wood ruling out trial by jury. This was an immediate setback because as defence lawyer pointed out, “We knew we would have a better chance with a jury because for a jury, law and morality aren’t as distinct as the court in B.C. thinks they are.”
On Wednesday, March 1 these 102 were found guilty. Before sentencing the judge allowed them to give personal testimonies over several days. Sentencing took place on March 6 with Wood handing out a suspended three month sentence to all defendants.
The following is a list of the defendants together with some excerpts from their testimonies.
In our May issue we printed the complete testimonies of James and Karen Hanlon, husband and wife, and David Forsyth. These three, after sentencing, returned to the abortuary and thereby incurred a conviction of three months. They will be set free on June 7.
The Defendants
A constant refrain from the defendants was that they had not blocked the “clinic” in order to defy or embarrass the court and that they understood the difficult position in which the judge found himself. Nevertheless, they had come to save lives, this being the only way left – after years of letter writing – to put a stop to the killing of the preborn.
Many quoted from Scripture. All of those who spoke – and some didn’t – reflected on the sad state of the law when it no longer represents the teaching of God on a matter of the gravest importance, that of life and death.
Please note: An asterisk in front of a name indicates those who spent 27 days in jail before and during the trial. At this time, The Interim has not been able to get a complete list.
Affleck, Kenneth, Vancouver, Bible teacher. His wife is involved as a volunteer in an institution for the mentally handicapped. He told the court, “The situation has forced me to choose between obeying the law and saving human life. I have chosen life.”
Benson, William, Vancouver. Self-employed as a gas fitter. Mr. Benson stated, “Your honour, I can always express my regret to the Court for disobeying an Order of the Court, but I can’t you know, express my regret to a dead baby for my inactivity.”
Berger, Werner, age 37. Electrician. He is the divorced father of two children, ages 13 and 11 and a pro-life worker.
Bishop, William, Burnaby. Employee of Wizard Restaurant Services. He said, “It will stop me from maybe blocking doors, but it’s not going to stop me from maybe doing picketings.”
Bishop Kathleen, age 34, Burnaby. Employee of the Wizard Restaurant Services. William Bishop’s wife and the mother of two school-age children. She told the court, “Since the time 17 years ago when I miscarried my first child at 11-and-a-half weeks, I have never been able to forget that tiny human being lying on my bathroom floor. The haunting memory of that time will never allow me to believe that abortion is anything but murder.”
Blain, Katherine, age 51, Salmon Arm. Married with seven children. Her husband is a store-owner. She does charitable work for a Food Bank. Mrs. Blain told the court, “I hope, I pray that when other segments of our society are designated by law to be non-persons, that this group of rescuers will be there and, please God, I’ll stand with them.”
Blain, Leah, age 21, Vancouver. Second-year-college student. She told the court, “My Lord, I am in the same position as those who broke the law in order to save the Jews. If I went along with the rest of society and did nothing about the murders that are taking place in my own country, even in my own city, I would be as guilty as the Nazis who have been found guilty of crimes against humanity.”
Bouberi, Maria, age 44, White Rock. Married and a nurse. Spouse’s occupation is a tool and die worker. Mrs. Bouberi stated, [It is] “the cry of my heart to stop atrocities against our unborn babies.”
Boyd, Jonathan, age 30, single. Campus worker with Maranatha Campus Ministries. “…I just bring to your attention that which is written over the Peace Tower of our nation’s capital, that says: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea,” Boyd said.
Brophy, Valerie, age 39. Married with four children. She is expecting another child. Her husband is a welder/fitter. She does charitable work with a transition house, working with the elderly. Recalling how she changed her mind after considering an abortion, “My son is now 16 and is a great source of joy in my life.”
Brown, Rosemarie, age 52. Married with four children. She has just now been given another grandchild. Advising the court she did not mean to be contemptuous, Brown declared, “I had no choice but to save the lives of the babies who were to be killed [at the clinic] that day and also did it to make reparation for my sins of complacency, not to have stood up sooner, but also for the sins of our nation, for the destruction of the millions of babies over the last 20 years and our arrogance to think that the unborn should have no rights. God have mercy on us all.”
Burke, Scott, age 27. Married with four children – ages one to five. His wife is expecting another.
Burke, Sharlene, age 50. Married with two children. She has five grandchildren, with another on the way.
Butts, Janet, age 35, single, a registered nurse.
Casoro, John, age 28, farmer, married with three young children. His wife is a kindergarten teacher. He told the court, “As the Bible clearly states in Exodus, Chapter 23, Verse 7: “Keep far from a false charge and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.”
Chamberlain, John Patrick, Vancouver, age 44. Minister of religion. He has two children. Explaining his conduct at the clinic, he told the court, “I am not an impulsive man. I made a decision based on principle and on life.”
Chipeur, Betty, Kelowna, age 47, married with five children. Her husband’s occupation is custodian. She is a homemaker. “I joined Operation Rescue because it enabled me to do something physically to stop the abortions,” she told the court.
Chisol, Kevin, age 28, single, university student.
Coupal, Alma, age 66. Married with four children and 14 grandchildren. She’s a nurse and she also runs an orchard farm. Her husband is retired. She told the court, “Children are our most beautiful, natural resource and we have to try to save them.”
Coutts, Clifford, White Rock, age 36, one son. Employed at Loomis Armoured Car.
Coutts, Stewart, associate pastor at Mission alliance Church. He has five children, ages six through thirteen. He grabbed and hugged his five children and told reporters he had expected a suspended sentence but was prepared to serve time in jail. He said he’ll have to pray before he knows what he’ll so next.
* Davies, Kathryn, age 23, single, travel agent. She told the press jail was “wonderful, very nice. All my friends were there.” To the judge she had read Psalm 139, “For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Davies, William, age 40, self-employed businessman. Father of seven children. He told the court, “When I place my hand on my pregnant wife’s abdomen, a distinctly separate life within her kicks back at me.”
* Demers, Jim, Nelson, married. He has four children, ages two to seven. “My defence of my family begins with defending unborn children,” he told Judge Josiah Wood. He was picked out as a leader by prosecutor Arvay and, in fact, he had instructed each protester during the arrests.
Dombrowsky, Leonard, age 40, single, a landscape worker.
Farrell, Cecily, age 67, five children and six grandchildren. Her husband is a retired piano tuner and a veteran of the Armed Services. “I can’t understand why intelligent people will not recognize the medical and scientific facts of fetal development. At 10 to 12 weeks the baby squints, swallows and can make a fist, had finger-prints and can kick and suck his thumb and all bodily systems are working,” Mrs. Farrell told the court.
Finley, Wendy, age 32, married with five children. Her husband is a Deputy Fire Prevention Officer.
Forsyth, Dave, Port Moody, age 32, single, part-time youth worker for the New Life Community Church in Burnaby.
Freisen, Alain, Abbotsford, age 21, carpenter.
Fu, Rose, age 51, single. Hairdresser.
Ferguson, Calvin, Kelowna, age 35, father of three children and a communications technician.
Ferguson, Douglas, age 39, married with one child, age four. “In God’s eyes, the blood of the aborted fetuses are on the hands of the court as sure as if you were in there tearing the body limb from limb,” he told the court. “The abortionists and this court are rebelling against God’s authority. This court is an accomplice to the abortionists… In this country, your lordship, we need laws that are right in the eyes of God and not just legal in the eyes of Parliament and the Courts.”
* Gerk, Edward, age 28, Kelowna broadcaster, father of four children – three girls and one boy. He and his wife refused an abortion when his third daughter was diagnosed before birth as having serious birth “defects.” He said, “It was unthinkable to abort. Natalie is two and she’s the light of our lives and brings us a lot of love…With all due respect, not this Court, nor anybody else will ever convince me that the unborn have no right to life.”
Gutsche, Sheila, Vancouver, age 34, married. Her husband is a radio technician shop supervisor in the Canadian Armed Forces. “I was frightened alone and pregnant at 20,” she told the judge. “The father left me and my friends encouraged me to have an abortion. Today I have a beautiful 13-year-old daughter, and if you asked her what her choice would be, she would say, ‘I have the right to life’…In the Charter of Rights I believe one right given to Canadians is the right to life.”
Hageman, Anya, age 21, single. “Every justification for abortion threatens all of humanity. As John Donne wrote, ‘Every man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind…When abortion is permitted, justice is dying,” she exclaimed.
Hamm, Gregory, age 22, cook. He is married with no children. His wife is program director of a senior citizens’ residence. Echoing the words of many others, he stated, “When a law causes people to defy the law, there must be something wrong with the law.”
* Hanlon, James, age 23, married. He is a self-employer painter in Langley.
* Hanlon, Karen, age 27, music teacher. She and James were recently married.
* Hanlon, Rosemary, age 60. James’ mother, she has six children and eight grandchildren.
* Headley, Selena, age 26, single. Campus minister at the University of British Columbia. She told the reporters there was a time “when I would not have been recognized as a person, because of the colour of my skin.” (She is black.) She went on to say that unborn babies were not recognized as persons today and she feels she must protect them.
Herwig, Gerhard. Self-employed heating contractor. He has three children, ages 14, 18 and 19. Mr. Herwig stated, “In our national anthem we sing the words, ‘God keep our land glorious and free,’ and the Canadian Bill of Rights affirms it in its preamble, and I quote: ‘That the Canadian nation is founded on principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God and the dignity and worth of the human person.’ It further affirms that: ‘Men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law.”
Hetzier, Catherine, has four children, ages one to thirteen.
Hogg, Charles, age 36, married to a public health nurse. They have two children, eight months and three-and-a- half years. Mr. Hogg said, “One question that people often ask of the preborn is if they would be better off dead than be born in a situation that is not acceptable to society. In answer to that, since when is an individual’s value based on the desires of another?”
Hu, Monica, 24, single, a teacher. Miss Hu told the court “Right now I work with university students…And I just am very concerned about the laws of this land. Abortion, which we have made socially acceptable and readily available, becomes something these women demand as a right in order to facilitate their lifestyle.”
Jackson, Steve, age 34, machine operator in Nelson. He has two little children, with one on the way.
Jones, Dana, age 18, finishing high school.
Kagume, Chelm. A student.
Keith, Dawne, married with two children, ages nine and eleven. Her husband is a computer systems analyst.
Kiessling, Anita, age 52, mother of three. She told Judge Wood that she suffered “terrible nightmares, crying fits and depression” for years after an abortion. “I don’t want any woman to suffer the trauma I went through after an abortion. I don’t want them to live with the fact they killed a baby.”
* Koenig, Morris, age 49, father of three children. A reformed safecracker, and now a baker in Salmon Arms.
Kruger, Ralph, age 39, married with four children, ages one to 14. A professional electronics engineer. He says that the Canadian justice system is in a “state of degeneration. I stand convicted of obstructing a business that kills in utero…that God’s law is now considered irrelevant in Canadian law and, thus, we have a law which is accountable to no one and is attempting to evolve itself using the opinions of fallible and imperfect men. For this reason and others, the Canadian justice system lacks the essential ingredients to maintain its own integrity and is thus in a state of degeneration.”
Kurtz, Linda, age 33, four children, ages three to ten. She told the reporters that she wasn’t misled at all (as the judge thought was the case with many of them). She also told them “I wish I could blockade again, but I have four small kids at home who need me there.”
LaBrash, Frances, age 58. She has two children and three grandchildren. Her husband is self-employed; she works with the handicapped. “My lord,” she told the judge, “for the past 10 years I’ve been working with the elderly and the mentally handicapped and, working with these people, I’ve come to realize how precious life id and how meaningful it is.”
Law, Joan, age 51, married with four grown-up children. She is a pastor’s wife.
LeBoe, Terry, age 37. Married wit four teenage children. He is married to a social worker and is a child care worker himself, part-time school teacher and visits the elderly.
LeFebvre, Maureen, age 33, married with two children, two and four. Her husband is a construction superintendent.
Lindahl, Brent, age 30, married with two children, age four and six.
Loewen, Bruce, age 22. Electrician from Abbotsford.
* Lorn, Thomas, age 66, building contractor, who lost his leg in World War II, told the judge: “In the war against Hitler…40,000 Canadians lost their lives…but today…60,000 Canadians lose their life in abortion. We kill more in one year than Hitler killed in five years. I shall try to remember you in my humble prayers.”
MacDonald, Brent, age 20, self-employed. His wife, a teacher, is expecting a child.
MacPherson, Terry, age 45. A psychiatrist and married with three teenage children.
McDermott, Louise, age 63, single. A retired civil servant.
McLelland, Boyd, age 24, single, from Burnaby. He has been engaged as a prison ministry reporter.
Moore, Richard, age 20, single. An engineer.
Mori, Corrine, age 23, no children. A homemaker married to a carpenter
Mori, Michael, age 33, Corrine’s husband.
* Muir, Wendy, age 35. Married with three children, ages one to six. She is a registered nurse and married to a high school teacher.
Nickel, Carol, age 26. Married with one child. She is a music teacher and home-maker. Her husband is a log peeler.
Nordick, Maybelle, age 58. She has eight children and 10 grandchildren. Her husband is a retired veteran. She manages a retail business. She told the judge she knows of “no other way to stop the killing than to put my body between the baby and those that would destroy it.”
* Norman, Barrie, age 41, married with two children, ages 19 and 17. He is a computer programmer and a regional manager of an international financial services company. He told the press, “A criminal record is just a part of the price I have to pay but I’ll never have to pay as high a price as the unborn.”
Patterson, Paul, age 26, single, no children. He is a track gang helper for B.C. Rail. (see the centre pages, The Interim, April 1989).
Paul, Carl, age 72. A retired aircraft inspector for C.P. Air and a veteran of World War II. He has four children and four grandchildren.
Paul, Garry, age 39. Married with three daughters. He is a purchasing agent and his wife is a piano teacher.
* Pederson, Trent, age 28, single, a carpenter in Kelowna, BC. “It’s an honour to serve time in prison for my Lord,” he told the Court. The courtroom broke into laughter after Pederson described how he had converted three other inmates while in jail. “It has been so long since the state sponsored such a great missionary effort,” he said.
Peterson, Doug, age 23, single, no children. He is a youth worker.
Pirillo, Jonathan, age 24. A data entry clerk. He has no children.
Probsti, Fred, age 46. Married with four children, ages 3 to 15. He is an appliance serviceman.
Ryan. Lisa, age 23, single, no children, she is a student. “I regret I had to break the law but I must abbey God’s law which is, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’” said Miss Ryan.
* Sarich, David, age 23, a labourer from Painston, B.C. He has a 17-month-old girl and his wife had just lost a child. He told reporters that he wouldn’t be deterred from going back. “There might be people that God directs t go back…I don’t know, if God calls me back, I’ll go back. I wasn’t forced into anything. It was my own decision.” In fact, he said, there really aren’t any leaders. “God orchestrated this. He brought this together.”
Sheerin, Nick, age 67. A retired caretaker.
* Sibley, Kerby, age 27, single, a student studying by correspondence. One of those who spent 27 days in pre-trial custody. Sibley stated, “It is all worthwhile, if we have saved one baby.”
Stahlberg, Michael, age 31, married with one child.
Strugnell, Robert, age 26. A truck driver. Married with a one-year-old child.
Strugnell, Trent, age 35, married to a pre-school teacher, but has no children. He is unemployed at the present time. Mr. Strugnell stated this injunction means that “a no-trespassing sign has become more important than saving lives.”
*Taylor, Mabel, age 70, married with three grown children. She is an alcohol and drug counselor and her husband is a retired businessman.
Thibeault, Helen, age 55, engaged in community work and looks after her grandson.
Thompson, Gregory, age 25, single, a construction estimator. He told the court that he lost his job because he participated in Operation Rescue. He thought it worthwhile, however, because one woman had changed her mind about having an abortion. He refused to apologize for defying the court’s injunction.
Twining, James. Married for nine years and has four children. He is a certified financial planner in Bellingham, Wash.
Unrau, Jacob, a carpenter. He has nine children and 10 grandchildren.
Van Aert, Ted, age 55. He has six children of his own and has adopted a seven-year-old child who has Down’s Syndrome. He and his wife have adopted a second child, who is two years old, totally blind and suffering from cerebral palsy and is fed through a tube. A third adopted child is seven months old, suffering from withdrawal symptoms because the natural mother was addicted to drugs. They support two children in India.
Van Eldik, Berend, age 55, married with four children and two grandchildren. He is a photographer and his wife is a nurse’s aide. Mr. Berend stated that the life of one child is worth more than a law that prohibits trespassing, an injunction signed by a Supreme Court judge or his own personal freedom.
Vincent, Tim, age 19, single.
Wambeke, Marie, age 68. A widow with one child. She is a teacher.
Ward, Ellen, age 49, married to an electrician in Kamloops and is the mother of three teenagers. “We are all ready to accept any punishment… Most reckoned on that before this enterprise began,” she said.
Wessel, Anita, age 33, married with three children, ages one to nine. She is a homemaker, qualified in early childhood education and as an assistant supervisor. Her husband grades lumber.
Whalen, Richard, age 39, married with two children, ages one and seven. He is a teacher.
Whitbread, Dawn, age 30, single, an administrative secretary.
Wilson, Brian, age 41, married with two children, ages 12 and 14. He is a marketing and sales manager.
Wilson, Francis, age 42, single. He is a labourer.
Wright, Doreen, age 71. A widow with five children and seven grandchildren.
Chronology of dates and events
March 8 – Vancouver – James and Karen Hanlon and David Forsyth return to the Vancouver abortuary and receive three months’ sentences. Sissy Von Dehn and Francine Lorn also appear in court on charges resulting from a February 25 blockade of the Everywoman’s abortuary.
March 12 – Toronto – 109 rescuers are arrested and released later in the day.
March 21 – Vancouver – Four rescuers are arrested, one of whom, Melinda Anderson, is wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan, “Be a hero, save a whale, Save a baby, go to jail.” Anderson, 18, and four others, David Donovan, 32; Frank Dragon, 28; Corrina Larson, 20; all of Burnaby, B.C., decline to agree to stay away from the abortuary. All four are ordered held in jail until the date of their trial, March 31. David Donovan has four young children.
March 28 – Vancouver – Laird Swanson and rosemary Hanlon, of Langley, B.C., are arrested and sent to prison.
April 3 – Vancouver – All four March 21 rescuers are set free after being given a four month suspended sentence.
April 13 – Toronto – Judge issues temporary injunction for Morgentaler’s Harbord Street abortuary. Cliff Coutts and Kathryn Davies, two of 15 pro-life protesters arrested for blocking the Vancouver abortuary, are immediately jailed for three months. They had been sentenced to suspended sentences earlier. The 13 others plead not guilty. One of these, Rosemary Thompson, of Langley, B.C.’ refuses to comply with an order not to go back and is “remanded in custody,” i.e., jailed, until the Friday following April 21, the date of their trial. Two others from B.C., Jim Demers and Eugene Schmunck, both of Nelson, are convicted of criminal trespass along with 48 Americans for trying to shut down an abortuary in Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle, Washington.
April 22 – Winnipeg – Manitoba pro-lifers block the entrances to the Morgentaler “Clinic”. Forty-four are arrested for trespassing and mischief, including Dr. Larry Reynolds, M.D., and released later in the day. The case is remanded to June 1. Another 300 pro-lifers picket the Women’s Pavilion of the Health Sciences Building while a small group demonstrates in front of the residence of Morgentaler ‘Clinic’ abortionist, Robbie Mahood.
April 28 – Vancouver – Corinna Larsen, 20, and Melinda Anderson, 18, are sentenced to four months in jail by Mr. Justice C. R. Lander. The other three remain in jail until their trial on Thursday, May 4.
May 5 – Toronto- Mr. Justice C. A. Craig issues a permanent injunction forbidding all demonstrations within 500 feet of the Morgantaler abortuary.
May 6 – Toronto- Pro-lifers, Joe Bissonnette, 25, and Michael Massin, 31, are arrested and held over the weekend. They are set free on May 8. A court hearing is to be set later.
May 9 – Toronto – Pro-life activist, Ron Gauthier, is arrested.
May 12 – Toronto – Operation Rescue closes Robert Scott’s Gerrard Street abortuary for the morning. Rescuers chain themselves together. They are charged with trespass, arrested and released the same day.
