Karen Middleton, executive director of NARAL Pro Choice Colorado, asks for attacks on abortion facilities to be classified as domestic terrorisms. (Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post)
The liberal group ProgressNow Colorado assembled Planned Parenthood supporters on the state Capitol steps Tuesday to characterize the rhetoric of anti-abortion Republicans as the match that lit the fuse in last Friday’s mass shooting in Colorado Springs.
“No one should have to fear for their lives when they’re just out just being in their communities, when they’re going to the grocery store, when they’re going to the doctor, accessing health care,” ProgressNow Colorado’s executive director Amy Runyan-Harms said at a the press conference.
She called out a list of Colorado Republicans who have spoken against Planned Parenthood with language she characterized as hostile.
“Along with these policy changes has come an increase in hateful, ugly rhetoric, some of which, I believe, contributes to an increase of violence against abortion providers,” Runyan-Harms said.
Among those ProgressNow called out was state Rep. Joann Windholz — a Republican from Commerce City who Democrats have targeted as vulnerable in next year’s election.
On her Facebook page Monday afternoon, Windholz posted:
Violence – Where it starts.
The freedoms we enjoy in the United States include those that were made up to fit the audience and unsubstantiated numerical support, specifically the right to an abortion. When a violent act happens at a Planned Parenthood (pph) facility (most recent in Colorado Springs) the left goes on “auto-pilot” blaming everyone insight when they should be looking in a mirror. Free Speech has brought to light the insidious selling of baby body parts (pph has no shame). These facts and overall mission of the abortion industry would easily send anyone over the hill who wasn’t rational.
The “war on women” is what pph began with Margaret Sanger and it has turned into a war on the family, especially children. It has changed children from a blessing to a commodity making it very hard to consider ourselves to be a civilized respectful rational society.
Violence is never the answer but we must start pointing out who is the real culprit. The true instigator of this violence and all violence at any pph facility, is pph themselves. Violence begets violence. So pph, YOU STOP THE VIOLENCE INSIDE YOUR WALLS. My question is, if abortions were free at pph, how long would they stay in business? Pro-Life organizations offer their caring services saving women and children for free every day and they clean up the mess that pph has left behind.
Pray Daily for the women who abort, their children, and the providers.
JW
Runyan-Harms said of the posting, “When one of our own elected officials is saying, ‘Violence is never the answer, but ..’ and ‘Violence begets violence,’ we’ve gone too far.”
Many top Republicans and pro-abortion groups have condemned the shootings in Colorado Springs. Debbie Chaves, executive director of Colorado Family Action, said the anti-abortion organization was “devastated by this senseless act of violence and unequivocally condemns it regardless of motivation.”
“In Colorado, the pro-life movement works to increase respect and protection for all human life and this man’s actions go directly against that goal,” she said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and we pray that all those involved can find peace during this difficult time.”
She said the organization had a long history of “peaceful activism, education, legislation and service to bring about an end to abortion, euthanasia and other life-destroying actions.”
Karen Middleton, a former Democratic state representative and the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, wants attacks on abortion clinics deemed domestic terrorism.
“More public officials in Colorado and across the country, not just advocacy groups and the people on the front line, need to take a stand opposing domestic terrorism and in support of women’s health,” she said at the press conference. “People took this attack very personally.”
