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2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
202-546-0054
One Penn Plaza, Suite 6202
212-290-1585
One Penn Plaza, Suite 6202
212-290-1585
Religion Newswire 202-546-0054
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW |
False Accusation Against Randall Terry
Refuted -- Mr. Terry Does Not Condone Violence
"Mr. Greg Cunningham, of the Center of Bioethical
Reform, has (unethically) born false witness against me, saying: "The
Center For Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) today condemned Randall Terry's
support for violence against abortion providers." Mr. Cunningham needs
to publically apologize and retract his statement. If he is a man of
integrity, he will." -- Randall Terry
Contact: Catherine Veritas, 904-687-9804; for Randall
Terry, Director, Insurrecta Nex,
www.overturnroe.com
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 /Christian
Newswire/ -- Mr. Randall Terry's statement follows:
"On February 1, 2010, Mr. Greg Cunningham made the
following false accusation against me: 'The Center For Bio-Ethical
Reform (CBR) today condemned Randall Terry's support for violence
against abortion providers.'
"It is painful when a hard working pro-life man like Mr.
Cunningham makes an untrue statement, but I am confident that when he
has seen his error, he will retract his statement.
"Below is a link to a video of press interviews I did
before and after Mr. Roeder's conviction for killing George Tiller. In
them I clearly state that I do not agree with what Scott Roeder did.
Also, both of the press releases I sent out are linked below. My words
are there for all to see and hear.
"I politely defy Mr. Cunningham – and any other
'pro-lifer' or supporter of child-killing for that matter – to find one
instance where I have EVER 'supported violence against abortion
providers.' The accusation is absurd, tawdry, and shows a severe lack of
research on Mr. Cunningham's part. As the press releases I sent out
show, I am committed to the rule of law.
"My commitment to non-violence has never wavered, and I
made perfectly clear to all journalists present that I do not condone
what Mr. Roeder did (See video).
"Our purpose for going to Wichita was three-fold: First,
to ensure that the babies butchered by George Tiller were not forgotten;
to talk about those innocent babies – whose blood cries from the ground
- with the media who were present.
"Second, to discuss Scott Roeder having a fair trial. He
had a right (which was denied him) to tell the jury what he knew about
how George Tiller killed babies. He had a right for the jury to 'get
inside his head.' This was critical, because if he could not talk about
the babies Tiller murdered, he could not get a fair trial. (Roeder could
have been tried for voluntary manslaughter, but the judge ruled against
it.)
"Third, to shore up – and when necessary rebuke -
pro-life leaders and organizations who are running and hiding from this
mess. I did not expect Mr. Cunningham to be in that sad crowd.
"We were successful on all three counts. Here are three
samples of hundreds:
New York Times: "George Tiller shed the blood of 60,000
innocent children," Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, told
reporters. Mr. Terry...said that he was neither condoning nor condemning
Mr. Roeder's actions, but that people should remember the children.
NPR: Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, was also
in court, and he said he didn't think that justice was served since the
jury didn't get to consider Roeder's motive of preventing abortion. "And
it showed to me that they never got a chance to get inside of Scott
Roeder's head. The babies who died at Tiller's hand deserved their day
in court, and it should have been this trial and it wasn't," Terry said.
Wichita Eagle: But abortion foe Randall Terry, the
Operation Rescue founder who is now director of a group called
Insurrecta Nex, accused anti-abortion leaders of "running like
frightened schoolgirls" from Roeder. "If we condemn him too severely it
undermines the premise of everything we stand for," Terry said.
Anti-abortion leaders should be able to say that they don't condone what
Roeder did, but that he did it because Tiller had "murdered 60,000
babies," Terry said.
"Even some of these quotes are off a little bit – which
we expect from human beings working in the media – because as Mr.
Cunningham knows, some of them have a fierce commitment to child killing
and making pro-lifers look bad.
"Concerning my 'quote' in AP that 'more violence is
inevitable,' I ask the reader to read the press releases below. The
journalist asked me a straightforward question: "Do you expect more
violence." I spent time with the journalist explaining "the shedding of
innocent blood," and the laws of sowing and reaping that God put in the
world. We reap what we sow.
"Simply put, blood cries from the ground (see Genesis
4:9-11); when the blood of fifty million babies is crying from the
ground, something will happen. I made clear I am not advocating it, and
that I do not want it, but unless child killing is ended, I think
further violence is inevitable. I further said – and I maintain without
equivocation – that child-killing itself is the fount from which this
evil and violence flows.
"The worst that can be said is that George Tiller was a
mass murderer, and he reaped what he sowed: A murderer was murdered.
"Beyond that – after days of sitting in the trial – it
became clear to me that Mr. Roeder was not being given a fair trial. In
my opinion, he should have been given the chance to present what he knew
about Tiller to the jury; how their bodies were torn limb from limb; how
they were decapitated; how their mangled lifeless bodies were disposed
of. Those babies deserved their day in court. If the jury had heard
Roeder's mindset, they might have convicted him of voluntary
manslaughter, instead of murder. He was denied that defense, and I
understand that this will be part of the basis for his appeal.
"Mr. Cunningham's plunge into fantasy was embarrassing to
himself. He spoke of 'wild-eyed consumer advocates who could begin to
kill corporate officials' and 'radical environmentalists who think
'climate change' is homicide;' and 'animal rights activists who think
'meat' is murder...The list of grievances is endless and our pluralistic
society would quickly be plunged into interminable chaos.' Is Mr.
Cunningham equating the brutal murder of babies to climate change and
eating meat? Does Mr. Cunningham think that the blood of animals cries
to God for justice?
"Mr. Cunningham, I am confident that had Mr. Roeder been
able to present to the jury a defense of voluntary manslaughter, America
would not turn into 'Gaza or Mogadishu.' Honest folks, the sky is not
falling.
"Finally, I make the following suggestions to Mr.
Cunningham: First, check your facts. You should be better than this.
Second, have the courtesy to pick up the phone, and give me a call. You
should have more honor than this. Third, step away from your computer,
and come to where the battles rage – whether Wichita, or Notre Dame, or
here in DC. The view of the fight from the front lines is quite
different than 1,000 miles away in the comfort of your home, in front of
your TV set or computer monitor. You should have more courage than
this."
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