In a move aimed at safeguarding reproductive rights, New York Attorney General Letitia James has initiated a legal battle against an anti-abortion group known as Red Rose Rescue. James alleges that this group has been intruding on abortion clinics with the intent of discouraging the procedures, leading to a disruption of essential health care services. The case filed on Thursday calls for a court order to halt these disruptive activities.
Red Rose Rescue, along with several of its individual activists, find themselves in the crosshairs of this legal action filed in a Manhattan federal court. The lawsuit seeks a preventive measure that bars these activists, and anyone associated with them, from approaching within a 30-foot radius of any abortion clinic. Additionally, it calls for monetary compensation for their previous disruptive actions.
The anti-abortion group’s modus operandi, according to their website, involves members entering abortion clinics and handing out roses to patients. They attempt to dissuade women from proceeding with abortions, refusing to leave the premises until they are forcibly removed. The group’s “code of conduct” asserts that any unjust imprisonment resulting from these activities is considered a spiritual extension of their mission.
Red Rose Rescue’s leader, Monica Migliorino Miller, countered the lawsuit’s claims, suggesting that it was a tool to suppress pro-life speech and activities. Miller asserted that Attorney General James’ support for legalized abortion was the underlying motive for the lawsuit. In her words, the group’s members are “quiet, loving, and completely peaceful.”
However, James painted a different picture of the group, branding Red Rose Rescue as an extremist organization. She underscored that the group’s activities had led to several New York patients missing or delaying their appointments. James stated, “Red Rose Rescue has made it their mission to terrorise reproductive health care providers and the patients they serve.” She went on to reaffirm the rights of individuals to make their own decisions concerning their bodies, without interference from anti-choice legislators or “bigoted zealots.”
According to the lawsuit, the group’s members have been accused of trespassing into abortion clinics in New York, masquerading as patients, and even barricading a clinic entrance in Hempstead, New York. It asserts that these actions have continued unabated, despite arrests and jail time, making a court order essential to prevent further trespassing.
This news story is based on an article published on malaymail.com.
