Thursday, August 27, ten anti-abortion religious zealot cult members blocked the entrance to Northland Family Planning Clinic in Sterling Heights, MI.

They didn’t just kind of stand in the way of patients, or walk in front of cars like they normally do. These antis came to completely block access to the clinic for as long as possible by planting themselves in front of the clinic’s patient entrance as well as the employee door and then refusing to move until removed by the police.

All of this was streamed live to the public on Facebook by various members of the group. The only other media coverage was at an anti-abortion propaganda website, with information provided by the antis that were arrested.

While they blocked these doors, other antis “sidewalk counseled” aka harassed and intimidated patients at their cars in the parking lot unimpeded; there were no clinic escorts.

Upon their arrival, the Sterling Heights Police Department were deferential and sympathetic to these people who were trespassing and keeping people from entering a legal business, as well as harassing and intimidating patients of a healthcare facility, in part because antis have bullied police departments across America with their deep legal pockets. The police know antis have lawyers on speed dial.

The police attempted to talk them into moving away from the door, and the antis engaged them for quite some time, keeping the doors blocked as long as possible, which was their goal.

But another reason is that various police officers are on video saying they agree with the antis’ beliefs, which is within their right. However, it shouldn’t color the enforcement of the law.

These antis came and did this knowing that blocking the entrance of an abortion facility is a violation of federal law – the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act – which prohibits blocking entrances or intimidating patients at reproductive health clinics. They weren’t too concerned. They were charged with trespassing.

This wasn’t the first time this clinic had been targeted. This is the same clinic that the first “Red Rose Rescue” occurred, where four antis invaded the clinic lobby with red roses to harass patients INSIDE THE CLINIC three years ago on September 15, 2017.

According to the Macomb Daily newspaper in 2018, “Four abortion protesters were convicted of trespassing and sentenced to two years non-reporting probation for invading a Sterling Heights abortion clinic…City attorney Don DeNault, who prosecuted the case, said the defendants 'by all accounts are good people' but needed to be held accountable. 'The important thing here was to send a message so this won't happen again,' he said.”

So, how’d that work out?

Continually deferring to these people and their religious demands, coddling their illegal activities with light sentences, equates to preferential treatment to their religious beliefs and does nothing to dissuade them from their illegal activities.

Allowing anti-abortion religious zealots to continually demonize providers and women as murderers endangers the lives of doctors, nurses, support staff, patients at clinics.

“Red Rose Rescues” and “blockades” to “save the babies” eventually give way to Robert Dear, Jr. rolling up to a clinic, to “save the babies” with guns blazing.

Dear killed three people at a clinic in 2015 in Colorado Springs, CO. People like these screaming about "saving babies" and “baby murderers” on the public sidewalk are responsible for creating the environment where Dear kills people - patients, companions, escorts, doctors, and staff - at clinics.

When asked why he did it, Dear said he did it to "save the babies."

We have to stop allowing religion to have any say in peoples' healthcare. We must hold people equally accountable before the law. When FACE violations are CLEARLY committed, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Religion should not buy a light sentence.

And allowing the public screaming of "don't kill your baby" and "baby murder" when there is none is irresponsible and dangerous. It incites those that aren't able to discern reality and people die as a result. And antis are just fine with that apparently.

Sometimes the words "good" and "Christian" don't necessarily go together.

#abortionishealthcare #harassmentnotprotest #sidewalkcounseling #christianprivilege #christianterrorist #christiantaliban #mindyourownuterus #proabortion #prochoice #weengage #pinkhousedefenders

@phdefenders @lkgibson01