Pm-life groups fear extremists

BY CRISTINA ODONE
CATHOLIC PRO-LIFERS fear that the Pope's latest encyclical may be used to promote a new, American-style antiabortion campaign in this country. John Paul H's uncompromising stand against abortion in Evangelium Vitae, issued last week, was hailed by prolife groups, including LIFE and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), as "an allimportant impetus to our campaign against abortion". But Mrs Phyllis Bowman, National Director of SPUC, warned that there was a danger that "pro-life extremists" could hijack the papal encyclical to pave the way to a "confrontational campaign" such as the one conducted in the US by the pro-life lobby. Mrs Bowman told the Catholic Herald this week that she feared that tactics adopted by fringe pro-life groups such as Operation Rescue, spearheaded by Fr James Morrow, "are liable to attract violent people. This even though Rescue members themselves both here and in the USA are pacifists." Fr Morrow refused to speak to the Catholic Herald, because of his "dissatisfaction with the paper's position on Catholic teaching." "There are people out there who believe 'rescue missions' are the only way to fight abortion,"Mrs Bowman said, "But this gives people the false impression that there is a short-cur to victory." Other pro-life campaigners echoed SPUC's fears that confrontational tactics, such as picketing outside abortion clinics and hurling abuse at gynecologists suspected of carrying out abortions, may escalate to the violence that has characterised much of the anti-abortion lobby in the US where protesters outside abortion clinics have resorted to violence, including, in two recent incidents, the murder of two people at an abortion clinic in Florida. Peter Garret, a spokesperson for LIFE, said this week that "it is all-important for groups such as LIFE and SPUC that we do not become tarred with the same brush as the extremists who embrace such 'vigorous tactics' as those found among US anti-abortionists. The way LIFE interprets the papal encyclical is as an impassioned support for the kind of counselling work we have always carried out." David Alton, MP (Liberal Democrat, Mosseley Hill, Liverpool) who met with John Paul II last Friday, said the Pope commended the "important work" of pro-life groups. "I thanked him on behalf of all the pro-life groups in Britain for the great encouragement he gave those of us engaged in this important battle against the 600 abortions carried out each working day. The Holy Father said that he has written his encyclical, and now it is up to the legislators." At SPUC, Phyllis Bowman agreed that "The way to wage our battle is through education in the parliamentary process, for it is through MPs that we can achieve our mission."
Leafleting, volunteering at your local Life centre, and other non-violent tactics of persuasion "will win for us the battle against abortion," she said.
Mrs Bowman, who went on to say that "the National Front has on several occasions made friendly overtures to us but we have always steered clear of them" warned that the majority of Catholic churches have no sense of urgency about what we are facing. "People must wake up to the fact that protesting abortion is something for which we all bear personal responsibility." Meanwhile, in response to the Pope's encyclical, both Italy and Poland have enacted new legislation to oppose embryo research and experimentation.