(News Release)

The rights and access to reproductive healthcare for Mississippi women are in jeopardy. For the next week, Christian Fundamentalists and right-wing extremists will be terrorizing Jackson communities. Most of Operation Save America have left town, but the attack is still underway. Oh Saratoga, Promise Keepers, and Knights of Columbus all have scheduled events in Jackson, Mississippi during late July and early August.

Operation Save America

From July 15 to July 22 Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue) came to Jackson to wage war on the last abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi. Their tactics included vulgar signs (at the clinic and on the property of progressive churches), graphic propaganda (an aborted fetus displayed in a public park), verbal harassment, and burning symbolic artifacts (burning the Quran, shredding a gay pride flag, and burning a copy of Roe vs. Wade).

Operation Rescue was the organization responsible for the infamous “No Place to Hide” campaign during the 1990s that distributed the home addresses and travel routines of abortion providers in the period before the first killing of an abortion doctor.

The purpose of this group coming to Jackson, Mississippi was to attack the clinic in the name of Jesus Christ, but they brought with them their intolerant ideals, and behaved in accordance with those. In their words: “Homosexuality is a sin”
“Islam is a lie”
“Abortion is murder”
“Feminism is rebellion against God”
“Evolution is a delusion”
“Intolerance is a beautiful thing”
“Some issues are just black and white”

For more information go to the OSA website: http://www.operationsaveamerica.org

“A white-haired woman walked repeatedly on the sidewalk across the clinic's driveway, moving deliberately slow. The woman's slow walking is a well-used tactic: It forces a motorist to stop before pulling into the clinic, giving the demonstrators time to surround the car.” -Clarion-Ledger

Mary Woodward, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, who is opposed to abortion, said what she saw last week was hatred, bigotry, and intolerance not representative of Christianity.

Oh Saratoga!

Operation Save America’s leader Philip (Flip) Benham is a co-founder of Oh Saratoga!, another extremist anti-choice group.

Despite being less in numbers, Oh Saratoga! has a reputation of more radical behavior. Their tactics include terrorizing the homes of pro-choice advocates, clinic patients, and abortion doctors. Going door to door and publicizing a woman’s personal health information to her neighborhood, calling attention to gay couples living in the neighborhood, and physically blocking entrances to clinics. Oh Saratoga supports Eric Rudolph, Paul Hill, James Kopp, Shelley Shannon, Stephen Jordi and Clayton Waagner. All of these individuals are in prison for attempted murder, or murder of doctors. Saratoga Springs Police Chief Edward Moore said this pro-life group has a history of getting arrested.

Individuals highly involved with Oh Saratoga! Have written books like “100 ways to shut down a clinic,” have multiple arrests for invading and burglarizing clinics, and have publicly advocated for the murder of abortion doctors. Their leader, Father Francis G. McCloskey, “will risk persecution” in order to stop “sexmongers” and ACLU’s “bold pursuit of a godless society.”

This past July, he has been leading daily protests at Planned Parenthoods and clinics offering abortions in upstate New York.

For more information go to the Oh Saratoga! website: http://www.ohsaratoga.com/

”The Big Oh! is going south to close the last death chamber in a southern state. A Big Bang Blast at the Culture of Death and A Summer Vacation Rolled Into One” -Oh Saratoga Website

”He put on righteousness as his breastplate and the helmet of salvation on his head:he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. Isaiah 59:2-18” -Fr. Francis G. McCloskey (who often ends speeches with this verse.)

Promise Keepers

Promise Keepers are a Christian organization for men focused on promoting their interpretation of the role of a man, which involves dominance over women, strictly heterosexual behavior, and a racist and pro-life attitude.

Promise Keepers are of the mind that women are inferior to men. "The head of every woman is a man. The head of every man is Christ. And the head of Christ is God," declared Richard Henton, a speaker at a Promise Keeper conference.

Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney was instrumental in passing Colorado's anti-lesbian and gay Amendment 2, which was so extreme that it was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. He has referred to homosexuality as "an abomination of Almighty God". McCartney has also been a featured speaker at rallies of Operation Rescue. Check out http://www.promisekeepers.org/ for more info.

"I believe that slavery, and the understanding of it when you see it God's way, was redemptive.” -Bishop Wellington Boone, Promise Keeper Speaker

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, has actively fought to make the pledge of allegiance a theological oath, and not a political statement. The Knights advocate for a “Culture of Life,” a rhetorical term derived from Roman Catholic doctrine and often used by the United States Republican Party. The term represents opposition toward abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research.

In 1976 they funded the Hyde Amendment, which restricted federal reimbursement for women having abortions. In 1990, the Knights of Columbus provided most of the money the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops used for a national campaign against abortion. In 2005, the Knights funded a postcard campaign in an attempt to stop the Canadian parliament from legalizing same-sex marriage.

Their website is http://www.kofc.org/un/index.cfm

Presence in Jackson

Most of Operation Save America have left town, but the attack is still underway. We do not know what they have planned, but given their history, we can only assume it will comparable to behaviors of the past.

Oh Saratoga is scheduled to be in Jackson from July 30 until August 4. They claim they are “headed to Mississippi for the summer tsunami against that state’s final abortuary.” They have a permit to be at the clinic for the days that they will be here.

Promise Keepers are holding a conference at the Mississippi Coliseum on August 4 & 5 in Jackson, MS.

Knights of Columbus will host a barbecue Saturday, August 5th from 4:00pm to 10:00pm at St. Joseph’s High School in Madison to benefit “Pro-life Mississippi and Birthright of Jackson.”

Everyone will be affected

This is not just an issue of abortion. These groups have an entire repressive agenda, which they seek to force on society including, sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, and religious intolerance.

"This attack is on low-income women, and that's because there is no way for them to stop women with means from taking care of what they want to take care of," says Melody Drnach of NOW. Abortions will still be available through private physicians at a higher cost. Women with limited means are being targeted.

What you can do

Resist

Come to the Solidarity Rally in Smith Park on August 5 at noon, and be creative in your own communities.

Outreach

Tell people what is happening here. Spread the word. From families, to friends, to co-workers, to media, to the stranger in the elevator speak up. By passing along this information, you can strengthen the voice of women’s rights.

Unite

Contact us to coordinate events and spaces for us to unite each other in Jackson and around the world.

Donate

Monetary donations directly support on-the-ground efforts; everything from food and water, to copying flyers, creating banners and procuring permits to demonstrate peacefully and publicly.