Abortion Protests Held Across Montgomery
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Anti-abortion rallies were held in several locations across Montgomery today.
The protestors, who display disturbing images to make their point, will spend the week in Alabama trying to get their message across.
A group called “Operation Save America” put up graphic images of aborted fetuses across Montgomery on Monday. They hope the pictures will make women think twice before having an abortion but others say it’s just an attempt to shame women.
“At six weeks of age, he already has eyes and nose, fingers and toes…”
Dale Henkel traveled all the way from Ohio with the organization Operation Save America to get one message across – that abortion is wrong.
“We know that a picture is worth a thousand words.”
The group brought plenty of pictures, many of them too graphic to show on television.
“You have the surgical glove with a baby,” he explained of one image. “All the insides are gone. The head’s gone but you see the arm, you see the legs.”
The protest was set up in the heart of downtown, at the riverfront’s entrance. Those who passed it had mixed feelings.
“I really don’t know what to say about this,” Birmingham resident Deon Wright said. “It is sort of shocking to have those images but I think it’s true and maybe people need to see the truth.”
“I think if they’re trying to make downtown a place for families then that shouldn’t be something my children see when we go to the splash pad,” said Montgomery resident Sharlyn Martin.
Just down the street…the city’s only abortion clinic held a rally of its own. We weren’t allowed to film those in attendance but the clinic’s lead escort, Mia Raven, did speak with us about the protestors in town.
“It is very disturbing because some of them do advocate violence so it is disturbing and that’s why we have these barricades up,” she said.
The protestors weren’t just downtown. Some were on the Eastern Bypass. Others were right across the street from the abortion clinic.
“We don’t respond to them,” Raven said. “The best policy is non-engagement. We do not engage with them. We’re only here to protect this clinic, protect the patients and the people inside the clinic.”
Those with Operation Save America say they’d like to see the clinic closed down.
“They’re not blobs of tissue like Planned Parenthood or other abortion clinics will tell you,” Henkel said. “They’re children just like you were when you were created and I was when I was created.”
“We’re just trying to show people what happens in there and hoping to get more people into the kingdom of God,” Aaron Williams with the organization said.
Operation Save America will be traveling all across the state this week, protesting in cities with abortion clinics.
