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Institute for Democracy Studies Documents Group's Ties to Extremists "Priests for Life say they oppose violence, but their actions send a different message," said Alfred Ross, president of the Institute for Democracy Studies. According to a new report issued by the New York-based Institute for Democracy Studies (IDS), Priests for Life, the Vatican-supported anti-choice organization, is poised to seize a leading role within the US antiabortion movement. The head of Priests for Life, Fr. Frank Pavone, will be receiving the National Right to Life Committee's (NRLC) highest honor, the Proudly Pro-Life Award, at a black-tie gala event at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Pro-choice activists intend to protest outside the event. IDS reports that while Pavone presents a moderate face to the public, he and his organization endorse illegal activities and are linked to extreme elements in the antichoice movement. Pavone explicitly justifies criminal trespass against abortion clinics and blockades of clinic doors, and has been vocally supportive of the militant, extreme right-wing Pro-Life Action League (PLAL). Recently, Priests for Life launched a $12 million national media campaign to restrict the right to abortion. NRLC's decision to give Pavone the Proudly Pro-Life Award signals his ascending power and influence within the antiabortion movement. "We condemn the National Right to Life Committee's decision to honor Pavone for promoting criminal acts and supporting extremists," said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. "It's just one more example of the true nature of the anti-choice movement's war against American women." "Priests for Life serve as a bridge between the highest levels of the anti-choice movement and the extremist foot soldiers on the ground," added Alfred Ross. The recent arrest of James Kopp, alleged killer of Buffalo abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian, has prompted many in the anti-choice movement to attempt to publicly distance themselves from such acts. However, national pro-choice leaders and abortion providers on the front-lines argue that the rhetoric and activities of anti-choice groups like Priests for Life have the effect of encouraging extremist violence. Following the 1995 murder of two receptionists at abortion clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts, Cardinal Bernard Law called for a moratorium on sidewalk demonstrations and protests at abortion clinics. Fr. Pavone denounced the moratorium and publicly declared, "[W]e need to continue being on the streets. To retreat...would be a mistake." |