According to the organizer of Anchorage’s 40-Days for Life prayer vigil, a volunteer pro-life advocate was body slammed on Sept. 21 by a woman with a recent history of verbally assaulting pro-lifers and damaging their property.
“Police are involved – they have met the woman, and an official report has been filed,” Mary Kemper wrote in a Sept. 26 email to supporters. “I am providing details so that you know the dangers we face, along with safety rules we must help each other follow, and an encouragement to continue to go to the sidewalk to advocate for the unborn.”
Announcement of the attack came one day before the start of the 40-Days For Life fall vigil outside the Anchorage Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. The peaceful vigil runs Sept. 27 to Nov. 5, as part of an international campaign to pray for the end of abortion.
The attack hasn’t appeared to phase participation in the annual vigil, as a kickoff rally on Sept. 27 drew more than 100 people for prayer, songs, scriptures, a short talk and training.
Kemper urged Alaska pro-life advocates to “be aware,” but not to abandon their legal right to advocate for the unborn in public spaces.
“We should not let these events keep us from coming to the aid of the unborn, just as we would not let an aggressor keep us from coming to the aid of a 4-year-old, an intoxicated person on crutches, or an elderly person,” she wrote. “But we must do so safely.”
According to Kemper, back in June, two sidewalk advocates were approached by a woman who at the time was wearing a rainbow-colored hat and a pink tutu over her jeans, carrying a twirling party noise maker in her hand and bear spray in her boot.
“One of the sidewalk advocates had her phone out and was videoing – something we are strongly encouraged to do as soon as we are nervous about anything,” Kemper said. “The aggressor came right up to one of the woman’s faces and was speaking vulgarities at her. The aggressor also at one point came up to the other sidewalk advocate and licked her phone. The aggressor also tore off all the Catholic medals that are often tied to the metal fencing. At one point, a young man driving by stopped and came to the sidewalk to help. Police were called and separated the aggressor from the sidewalk advocates. The aggressor was not arrested or asked to leave the sidewalk at this time. She stayed for several hours, but without any further incident.”
Two or three weeks later, the same woman returned and “threw all of the Catholic medals she had torn off the fence (see above), exclaiming that she had ‘anointed them’ by peeing on them,” Kemper claimed.
On Sept. 21, the same aggressor returned, and without warning “approached one of the advocates and body slammed her into the concrete retaining wall that separates the sidewalk from the parking lot,” Kemper stated.
“The other advocate had gotten her phone out, recording the conversation that followed,” Kemper continued. “This conversation included the aggressor stating that she had a gun for the man who had stepped in to help during the initial event in June.”
Kemper is also urging local pro-life men to form a so-called “Guardians for Life” groups to foster safety throughout the 40-day vigil.
According to Kemper sidewalk advocates told the woman that they “love her and that God loves her, but that it’s not okay to body slam other people.”
The woman then “gave an unkind hand gesture” as she walked away,” Kemper said. “Police were called again but did not come to the sidewalk because the aggressor had left.”
Sidewalk advocates described the vehicle that the woman got into as a smaller black truck, and they have filed a police report.
Kemper is encouraging all sidewalk advocates to “act with heightened vigilance” and to always pray outside the abortion clinic with at least one other person.
“If you are threatened, leave immediately and call the police,” she said. “And, if you can do so safely, get out your phone and take pictures/videos.”
Kemper is also urging local pro-life men to form a so-called “Guardians for Life” groups to foster safety throughout the 40-day vigil.
“Let me know if I can help create and/or coordinate such an effort,” she stated. “We would be most grateful!”
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Kemper ended her email by exploring pro-lifers to stay engaged in advocating for the lives Alaska’s unborn babies.
“I ask all of you, whether you decide to come to the sidewalk or not, to pray and fast for those on the sidewalk, for women and men considering abortion, for this woman who obviously is in need of our prayers, and for the unborn themselves,” she said. “Let us not stand by idly when our neighbor’s life is at stake.”
The 40-Days for Life vigils occur each fall and spring in cities around the world. The goal is to enlist individuals, churches, families, youth groups, private schools and others who are willing to join together in common focus and prayer. The signature element of 40 Days for Life is a focused, non-stop prayer effort outside a single Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility. The gatherings are peaceful and educational with the aim of sending a powerful message to the larger community about the tragic reality of abortion.
Despite the fall of Roe v. Wade Alaska remains one of the most liberal abortion states in the nation thanks to numerous Alaska Supreme Court decisions that have struck down virtually every pro-life law in the state. Not only are abortions legal in Alaska for any reason, but the state also publicly funds abortions for low-income women through the state’s Medicaid program.
TAKING ACTION
— The 40-Days for Life vigil web site is live and ready for sign-ups.
— For more information, email Mary Kemper at 40DaysforLife-Anchorage@protonmail.com.
Alaska Watchman relies on reader donations to keep this project going. Click here to help.
13 Comments
It’s so sad that Alaska funds MURDER(abortion). It’s against the Catholic Church teachings and I’d guess most other churches too. As for the lady body slamming, why won’t the cops arrest her for battery if nothing else? If I walk up to her and body slam her I’d go straight to jail because I’m a man. Why the double standard? Anchorage being liberal and against the Catholic Church is one thing, but body slamming is all together something else. I say Anchorage police need to do their job or STEP DOWN. There are no two ways about it.
It would be within the rights of whoever got body slammed to sue the lady. We do have tools if we choose to use them.
Alaska does not govern by what the Catholic church teachings dictate, nor does it govern by any religious dictates, as not every Alaskan is Catholic, nor Jewish, nor Muslim, nor atheist, nor Hindi.
Not basing State policy on Catholic teachings does not equal being against Catholicism. One can be Catholic and against abortion. One can be atheist and against abortion. One cannot be a state of a multitude of beliefs and peoples, and base its organization around a single sect of that peoples beliefs. We all live here; we all deserve dignity; we all deserve respect. That being said, In all cases presented, we should all be able to speak our minds without fear of physical attacks from either side, and those who resort to physical violence regardless of side should be ashamed of themselves.
Great move Minnery but not complete! Christians have been molded into spineless people who have surrendered to a culture that demands men to ignore their hormones inspiring them to stand courageously against a tide coming at them and rather surrender those same hormones to a screen displaying every wicked pic and sound their weak knees have led them to! Take for example dunleavy, the very idiot who said “ I want Alaska to be the most prolife state in the union “! Does anyone believe this pos? What about you Minnery? Why haven’t you confronted this governor? Are you to suffering the results of being in the same mold?
Pretty strong words from someone who comes here an berates people because they aren’t active enough. What, exactly, have you done, personally, to end abortion? What have you done to protect those who pray for the end of abortion? What have you done to show that you are not also a spineless Christian who rides a keyboard instead of following Our Lord?
Well Tamara
A lot is the answer! Your welcome to contact me and I will tell you! Watch out or you will trip over your ass umptions!
APD needed to arrest that woman who body slammed and threatened the man with a weapon. That’s endangering life and misdemeanor.
So much energy from the collective! Great! Question for you who are spending your next month out on the streets holding signs. Didn’t the majority of you vote for dunleavy?
Yes you did! Didn’t he proclaim his commitment to being prolife? Yes he did! Doesn’t dunleavy’s dept of health and human services pay for abortions? Yes they do! Then what the hell am I not seeing!
Spend your energy forcing the governor to keep his promises! Naive people who commit themselves to passionate actions are hard to watch! This problem is solved by one spineless man! He needs a public shaming!
Well come on Tamara rebuke me again!
Dave, please stop attacking people who are on your side. My gosh. I understand that you know some things that others do not know. Please consider writing, in detail, what you do know and share it with everyone. We cannot read your mind; moreover, I know, for myself, that I am not going to keep attack Dunleavy until I get the angle that you think is the right angle of attack. I’d be more than willing to read and share what you would write up and share with us.
Foh I won’t bother addressing your comments but will give you a heads up on information you and so many others have no clue about. Weather you actually want information that is from and about the belly of the beast otherwise known as our government is entirely on you!
Yesterday I was interviewed on KSRM-AM on Bob birds radio program. It’s a 1 hour interview with information on the inner workings of the government who takes your revenue in the form of taxes. The clarion call has been given to citizens to grow up and stop naively believing the propaganda this governor and government are spewing!
KSRM-AM first hour on 10/2.
Well, I should be thankful then that you are not going to rip me a new hole. Too bad that you did not let us know beforehand about the interview. Was it recorded so we can listen to it? If so, do you know the url for the recording?
Where is Alaska right to life? Oh yeah – pat doesn’t show up at these after he stole 10K from them a few years ago. AKRTL is the Worst thing to happen to the pro-life movement in Alaska ever. Go figure