Newspaper to city: Quit attacking pro-lifers

The ultrasound van Small Victories parks in front of Granite City's abortion clinic

A newspaper in the greater St. Louis area is calling for officials in suburban Granite City, Ill., to cancel their war against pro-life protesters from the Small Victories ministry, whose members have been battling a major abortion behemoth.

The city of Granite City recently lost a long-running federal court battle to ban the pro-lifers from appearing with their anti-abortion posters at local parades, an effort Small Victories spokeswoman Angela Michael told WND is valuable because it is one of few opportunities of reaching many of the region's politicians.

Now the editorial board from the nearby Belleville, Ill., News-Democrat is calling for a halt to Granite City's attacks.

Under a headline "Unwelcomed in Granite City," the newspaper said, "They should put up a new sign at the entrance to Granite City: 'Welcome (unless you're a hooker or her John, homeless, a redneck with a couch on your porch or an anti-abortion protester).'"

It continued: "Kind of a diverse group for the local police to be asked to target, but city leaders have done that with the stated intent of making Granite City a better place to visit or watch a parade."

The editorial noted the laudable efforts that are going on in Granite City to "improve" the city. "They are spending $1.2 million to renovate the street's appearance around City Hall. Prostitution has been a problem in the city for decades, with the women even exposing themselves to folks pulling out of the bank drive-through. Police make routine sweeps, but nothing seems to be as effective as putting a bunch of their customers in handcuffs and putting those customers' names in the newspaper."

And the newspaper said, "While we would like to see the homeless accommodated, we understand the city wanting to ensure they are safe and not setting up house in vacant buildings. We also have no problem with police making sure the men aren't engaging in inappropriate behavior on the streets."

The ratty porch couches? "Keeping the porches tidy is not a stretch."

"But," said the editorial, "we hope the efforts to stop the Small Victories anti-abortion group from protesting during city parades is at an end. … While we don't like their tactic of showing grisly [abortion] images during parades as a way to opposing the abortion clinic in Granite City, we certainly defend their constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and make their point."

Michael said the abortion business in Granite City is huge, and draws its customers from dozens of other states, because while many states have parental notification laws, Illinois does not. That means a rapist can bring an underage victim to Granite City and pay for an abortion, eliminating evidence of his assault.

In fact, as WND has reported, that's exactly what police in Bryant, Ark., alleged in an earlier case.

Det. Jimmy Long was working on a case in which an underage girl claimed a 41-year-old man sexually assaulted her, then took her to Granite City for a forced abortion. Long contacted Small Victories, which has been protesting in front of the abortion business for years, and routinely photographs those going in an out of the business.

The pro-life group was able to provide photographs of the suspect's car, with an identifiable license plate number, at the abortion business at the time the girl claimed she was taken there.

The recent federal court ruling over the issue of carrying posters at various parade routes in Granite City came down on the side of Small Victories.

Tom Brejcha, the chief counsel of Chicago's Thomas More Society, called the ordinance a "transparent" attempt to censor the Christian message of the Michaels.

The city law, "Ordinance Regulating the Location or Size of Signs During Certain Parades" was struck down by U.S. District Judge William Stiehl, who ruled although it "appear[ed] content-neutral on its face," the ordinance was not "narrowly tailored and amounted to a 'heckler's veto.'"

The city had proposed limiting the pro-lifers to carrying signs no larger than 8? inches by 11 inches. "There is no valid argument that an 8? by 11 inch sign is the least restrictive alternative available to meet the goals of free pedestrian traffic, unobstructed views by parade goers and public safety," Stiehl concluded.

Small Victories also parks an ultrasound-equipped van on the street in front of the abortion clinic and tries to convince women and girls to miss their abortion appointments.

Brejcha said the newest court ruling doesn't end the Small Victories case against the city, however, because the Michaels have alleged the city's actions during a November 2005 Christmas parade "amounted to a restriction of [their] First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion because [city officials] withheld police protection … and threatened to charge [the Michaels] with assault."

Michael told WND that the group typically only stages its protests at two parades during the year – one at Christmas to challenge the dozens of churches represented in that event to join the war on abortion, and the Labor Day parade, because that's the one occasion that always attracts the local politicians.

She said the Granite City effort to "beautify" itself is far-reaching. "But what I find so amazing is the mayor and city fathers refuse to recognize [that while] pouring all this money into the city, nothing is going to come of this unless you get rid of this slaughterhouse."

The abortion business is only two blocks from city hall, she said.

"You can perfume a pig, but it still smells like a pig," she told WND. "That's the problem with Granite City."