Organized Crime of Anti-Abortion Protest Groups

Organized Crime: Anti-Abortion Protest Groups

Caroline Moorman

Regis University

Organized Crime: Anti-Abortion Protest Groups

Protests to interrupt, impede, or terrorize those who receive or perform abortions have been seen nationwide by demonstration groups such as the Black Bloc and the Army of God. The tactics used to protest range from public annoyance to felony criminal activity. The following research will discuss specific tactics used by different protesting organizations, the social, political and cultural implications, and the overall effectiveness of each method of demonstration.

According to Paris in his writings about "The Black Bloc's Ungovernable Protest" (2003) and the Army of God webpage (1994), both protesting organizations use violence as a way of attempting to create social change yet their reasons behind their violent behavior differ. Groups like the Black Bloc are said to have no uniting political or social agenda and mostly hold different principles and beliefs (Paris, 2003). The Black Bloc typically assigns no clear leaders and is focused in general destruction and abuse of symbolically significant things such as abortion clinic buildings and police forces who are aiding in blocking them. The Army of God, however, differs in the fact that they claim to be driven by divine command (Army of God, 1994). This group follows a published manual and also defines clear leaders. These leaders are out to accomplish specific tasks that target abortion providers, calling them "legal murderers of innocent babies" (p.1). The overall goal of both protesting organizations is to use violence and fear through civil discord as a tool to force social change.

Civil disobedience seems to be effective in getting the public's attention through these splashy protesting tactics. It shows the consequences they will impose for contributing to legalized abortion and in the case of the Army of God, the reasoning behind anti-abortion protests. Although civil disobedience causes the public to take notice, I do not believe it is an effective medium for evoking change. The research by Leahy and Mazur (1980) suggests that the media in general further divides public opinion instead of creating a united and peaceful resolution. I also don't believe that the previously mentioned organizations have handled their protests lawfully enough to be taken seriously. According to law enforcement, protesters can better their right to freedom of speech by obtaining a permit to express their beliefs in a less intrusive place and notifying the authorities before a protest.

None of these groups who complain that abortion is murder are willing to admit that their acts to vandalize, bomb and kill is a social, political, cultural or religious violation and do no accept punishment for their destructive behavior and extortion (Mears, 2003). Many of the Army of God (1994) protesters publicize their names on the website, giving information of where donations to the cause can be made and where mail can be sent to them in jail. It appears in this website that these offenders are worshiped by AOG supporters and disagree with the criminalization of their actions. Since both groups seem to believe that their social, political, or moral code is above the regulations of the law, I believe it is more difficult for them to make change because the general law abiding citizens have a hard time agreeing with law-breakers, yet, there is a small chance it could work as a tool for change because some may believe in a specific social, political or moral code more than then a legal one, but I believe that is the minority.

Whether an individual is for or against abortion is decided by what code that individual follows. Those who abide by a social, political or cultural agenda generally have guidelines set by past president and in turn can all have expected behaviors and implications. According to Leahy and Mazur (1980), political anti-abortion protests are the result of socially conservative populations exerting dominance over society because of their own moral code. It is then the dilemma of the liberal populations to decide if freedom of speech is more important than the abortion rights themselves. Anti-abortion protests are politically incited to attempt to restrict or enable events through legislation so that personal liberties are in accordance with public policy.

A possible social factor that influences anti-abortion protests is that people who promote anti-abortion may believe that abortion is not allowing a person to be born that can contribute to the population which would be a cost to that society. They may believe that the unrestricted growth promotes taking responsibility for one's own actions, yet they also may find the root of those beliefs in cultural and religious