Life Legal has seen a dramatic escalation of violence outside abortion mills across the country. In the most recent attacks, several men shot pellet guns at pro-lifers – outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Napa, California, on two separate occasions.
On November 4, a youth group gathered to pray outside the abortion mill when two men drove by and shot pellets at the group. The teens were hit in the chest and face.
A week later, assailants shot pellets at sidewalk counselors and pro-life advocates who pray daily outside Planned Parenthood. Life Legal Chief Financial Officer Mary Riley, who is part of the prayer team, was hit in the head. While Mary was stunned by the attack, thankfully, she was not seriously injured.
Pellet guns are dangerous – even deadly – weapons. In a recent pellet gun shooting in nearby San Jose, California, the shooter was charged with multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon after a teenager was hit in the chest, resulting in a collapsed lung.
Our legal team is in contact with Napa law enforcement. We provided them with video evidence of the shooting, and the officers know who fired the shots. Inexplicably, no charges have been filed against the shooters to date.
When Life Legal founder Col. Ron Maxson showed up to the site this week with a large sign to protect pro-lifers from further attacks, Planned Parenthood called the police. Officers arrived immediately and threatened Col Maxson with criminal charges if he did not take down the sign. They also told pro-lifers on the scene that they “should not be out here.”
“I am appalled that the Napa Police Department has taken such a callous attitude toward the lives and constitutional rights of teenagers and others who are being assaulted solely because of their pro-life views,” said Life Legal Senior Counsel Allison Aranda. “As a former prosecutor, I expect the shooters to be punished to the full extent of the law to ensure that public sidewalks in Napa are open to free speech without the threat of violence. If charges are not filed, we will seek legal recourse to protect the pro-life community. And we expect law enforcement to cease harassing people who exercise their constitutionally-protected right to free speech.”
Life Legal is handling a number of cases involving assaults against pro-lifers outside abortion businesses around the country. One involves an attack in Jackson, MS. An abortion profiteer actually ran her car into a pro-lifer outside an abortion mill — the very murder mill that was at the heart of the Supreme Court case in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Of course you know that this was the case that overturned Roe v. Wade.
In the wake of that ruling, the partisans of child murder are determined to silence all criticism of their feticide factories and of the sick characters who operate them. That is why brave pro-life activists, including those in Napa, are subject to violent attacks. We at Life Legal wanted you to know that we are not leaving these heroes to face the danger all by themselves. We are doing everything we can to help them.