IFAS | Freedom Writer | January/February 1989 | abortion.html

Divided they stand

Evangelical anti-abortionists are divided on how to end abortion in the U.S. Operation Rescue (OR), the leading group, is led by Rev. Randall Terry, a minister of the Elim Fellowship, a fringe Pentecostal group. OR's primary tactic is to use their bodies to block access to abortion clinics. To date, ten thousand protesters have been arrested for civil disobedience.

Another group, the American Rights Coalition (ARC), disagrees with OR's methods. This group emphasizes the article of faith that abortion causes physical and emotional harm. Supported by Southern Baptist Rev. Charles Stanley of Atlanta, ARC has launched a drive to help "traumatized victims" of abortion sue abortion providers for malpractice.

Charlie Wysong, president of ARC, hopes that successful suits will enable them to make a strong statement to lawmakers. But Wysong's plan recently suffered an unexpected blow. In early January Surgeon General C. Everett Koop stated that "scientific studies do not provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women." Dr. Koop's statement, based on 250 studies, leaves anti-abortionists in a dither.

© 1998 Institute for First Amendment Studies, Inc.