Wendy Davis supporter hurls bomb at pro-lifers

By Bob Unruh

Melanie Toney
Melanie Toney

A new level of violence apparently has been reached by abortion advocates in Texas, which has been rocked by the issue recently, including a disruption in the state legislature when pro-abortion Democrat state Sen. Wendy Davis staged a 13-hour filibuster and later when her supporters were caught on a recording chanting “Hail Satan.”

The latest case has resulted in the arrest of a Davis supporter, Melanie Toney, 52, on a charge she lobbed a lit glass bottle with explosive fuel out of her car at pro-life activists near an abortion clinic.

According to KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas, the Molotov cocktail was thrown at a group of women praying in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic Monday.

Charges against Toney now include aggravated assault after Austin police and bomb squad members responded.

Troy Newman, president of the pro-life Operation Rescue, told WND that sometimes the peaceful prayer vigils, like the one in Austin Monday night, enrage abortion advocates, because “it reminds them of the horrible day they took the life of their child.”

Newman, who with co-worker Cheryl Sullenger authored “Abortion Free: Your Manual for Building a Pro-Life America One Community at a Time,” said the “culture that has given us abortion on demand to take care of the so-called problems in our lives has produced the concept that you can kill anyone that bothers you.”

“The Lord teaches us to cheerfully forgive those that persecute us, however we expect swift and severe punishment for those who violate the law and attempt to take innocent human life,” he said.

According to KXAN, Ruth Allwein, a volunteer with the pro-life “40 Days for Life” campaign, jumped into action when the bomb was thrown.

Read about the strategy that’s already proven successful, in “Abortion Free: Your Manual for Building a Pro-Life America One Community at a Time.”

“It had a lit wick, so my first instinct was to back away, then I wasn’t sure what to do,” she told the station. “I ended up coming over and stamping on it, so it was a little bit nerve-racking. I thought about leaving it alone but then my thought was, ‘What if it explodes, what’s going to happen?’ So I decided it was worth coming back coming back over here and doing something about it.”

She said she had seen a woman driving slowly on the street and thought it was just another interested party asking for information.

“I realized she was throwing something out the window and it was on fire. So I backed away and turned around to see if I could tell what the car looked like, but I couldn’t,” she said.

Police reported the bomb didn’t explode because it landed in a soft, grassy area.

See a local TV report:

[jwplayer lBdOCiCY]

Central Texas Coalition for Life staffers on the scene reported they caught part of the license plate as the woman drove off, and Toney was pulled over and arrested only a few miles away.

“This is definitely the first time that something of this nature has been thrown at us that’s actually threatened and put people in danger, so it’s obviously very alarming,” Heather Gardner, executive director of the coalition, told KXAN.

The station reported Toney initially denied doing anything wrong but later admitted to throwing the bottle and that it “might” have been smoldering when she threw it.

Planned Parenthood spokesman Ken Lambrecht said his organization wants a safe community.

“The health and safety of Planned Parenthood patients and employees is of our most concern,” he said.

The Austin Fox affiliate reported the charge against Toney is a second-degree felony.

Here are comments from the suspect’s son:

[jwplayer 9Kekzrk4]

At the Weasel Zippers blog, a witness list was posted of whose who spoke in support of abortion during Davis’ fight at the legislature.

Listed was Melanie Toney, “Registered Nurse (also providing written testimony).” Her testimony starts at about 4:50 of the following video:

[jwplayer coBaVHq5]

She describes herself as mostly emergency room nurse for 23 years, and said, “Unwanted pregnancy occurs in victims of rape from the ages of 9 to 90.”

“Rape is a violent crime and the majority of the victims are physically abused as well,” she said, adding that women are killing themselves over an “unwanted pregnancies.”

Davis, who later wrote about her own abortions, staged a heated battle in the legislature against proposed curbs on abortion, including a 13-hour filibuster as the regular session closed down.

However, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, vowing that the state would not be ruled by mobs, immediately called a special session in which the measure was easily adopted.

WND reported at the time that Davis’ supporters chanted “Hail Satan” in their campaign against abortion limits.

The first of the voices can be heard at about the 3:35 mark of the following video, a portion of the speech delivered by a pro-life advocate identified only as “Ashley.” By the 5:15 mark, however, the droning chants of several people can be heard clearly:

[jwplayer 8pamfsG9]

Another video can be seen here (Warning: Video recorded at a high volume):

[jwplayer 2ggYQzTG]

It was on the publicity generated by her legislative stunts that Davis later launched a failed bid to become governor in Texas.

The pro-life coalition posted on Facebook a report confirming no one was injured by the bomb.

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.


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