Choking Assault on Prolife Woman - Prosecution Refused Case

ON a warm summer day, I was, as usual, in front of the busiest abortion center in the Southeast, A Preferred Women Health Center at 3220 Latrobe Drive. A young pro-life advocate who is not connected with our ministry but a lovely voice for the unborn, was watching a disturbing drama unfold in the center parking lot. A woman had been repeatedly vomiting for half an hour.  Naomi was growing increasingly upset, begging the security bouncers to call someone to help this woman. No one offered assistance.

Finally, Naomi walked quietly across the lot to the woman and knelt beside her asking how she could help. Without a word, the female bouncer who is charged to prevent violence, began beating Naomi on her back and then put her in a choke hold. I immediately called 911 and described what was happening. Quickly, the bouncer dragged Naomi in the choke hold across the lot and then threw her onto the sidewalk.

While we waited for the police, the bouncer ran away. I took photos of the red streaks on Naomi’s neck. The following day, she ended up in the hospital due to swelling and breathing issues. Charges were filed for felony assault.

The next day, that bouncer was back at her post.

This happened in July. While waiting for a court date to be set, there have been two trials of pro-life folks being prosecuted in Mecklenburg County Court. One was a pastor who told a pro-choice woman who was speaking over a megaphone to children about masturbation that she was “dead in her sins”. He was arrested and charged with threats of violence. If he lost the case, he would be thrown in jail for speaking scripture. The second was of a young man who stepped on the public sidewalk alongside a car that had stopped for him to hand the driver our literature. He was charged with dangerous interference of traffic. There was no other car in sight, by the way. I asked the policeman to define interference but he told me it was not defined, but left intentionally vague to give them flexibility.

The cases went to trial on two consecutive days. In the first case involving Pastor Flip Benham, there was no photo, no video, no proof of any threat or threatening behavior and fifteen police officers were on site watching the incident. None showed the slightest concern over Flip’s comment, quoting scripture as he always does. The plaintiff never approached a single police officer with concerns for her safety. The case was still deemed worthy of the District Attorney to prosecute. The second case was also thought to be of significant enough concern for the safety and welfare of our city to be prosecuted. 

In both cases, prosecution lost. In the second one, it was dismissed by the judge after the police officer testified. No other witnesses were needed for the judge to determine the case was ludicrous.

The very next day, after MONTHS of the evidence of the assault case being available to prosecution which included pictures, videos, at least twenty eye witnesses to the assault, hospital records, and the bouncer running from the scene....the prosecution says the case is dropped due to “not enough evidence.”

Folks, if this angers you, please feel free to call the District Attorney office of Mecklenburg County to register your concern. ( 704) 686-0700. We tried to do so and the DA office told us to call the Sheriff’s office. The Sheriff’s office told us to call the DA’s office. Are you sensing a problem here?

 If you would like to alert any media friends you may have, or call city council members, or share this blog far and wide, please do so. It sure looks to me like whether one is granted one’s day in court is determined by where you stand on the issue of abortion rather than the salient facts and evidence.

Micah 6:8 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

A Different Sort of Pro-Life Post

See this beautiful dog, this dog that gets full rights to our couches, a dog door so he can come in and out as he pleases, daily runs and walks, a perpetually full dog food and water bowl? Do you see what is in his mouth? 

Perhaps the picture above will help you. This beautiful, pampered dog is eating a squirrel. That is bad enough in my eyes...a person who loves ALL life and hates to see anything die or certainly half eaten. However, it is even worse than it looks. Let me back up and tell you the whole story.

 I was returning from a walk during which a woman called me. The woman was abortion minded, but told me she wanted to get an ultrasound. If she was pregnant with twins, she would not “murder” the babies (Note: her word, not mine), but if she was pregnant with only one baby she would murder it. I knew that I could arrange an ultrasound for her, but there was no way I would do so until she had a better understanding of the fact that the value of human life is NOT dependent on how many little humans were in her womb. Each and every human being in her womb had value and worth and an intrinsic right to life endowed by the Creator of all things. This woman claimed to love Jesus. I had the green light (from God) to share the truth of the Gospel as well as the critical verse, “If you call me Lord, why do you not do what I say?”

So for forty minutes, I walked while asking her questions leading her to admit the following: yes the baby was human, yes even aborting one baby was murder just like aborting twins would be, yes it was wrong, yes God was clear in His commands regarding the value of that innocent human life. She became silent when I shared what it means to claim Jesus as Lord. If we claim we love Him, but then don’t do what He says, is He REALLY Lord of our lives?

By now,  she had arrived at her work place and we were out of time. She promised to call me back today. I pray she does because her heart was definitely softening and the baby’s life is hanging on what she does with the truths she knows. The call ended as I reached my door. When I unlocked the door, I saw that beautiful dog leap off my couch with something furry dangling out of his mouth. I figured he was skedaddling out the dog door with one of his dog toys.

But, something in my spirit told me that was not quite right. I want to the back door and peered out at the beautiful dog. He clearly had a headless squirrel in his mouth and that headless squirrel had been ON MY COUCH. To prove that fact, a tiny bloody claw that clearly once belonged to the headless squirrel was still ON MY COUCH.

The proof that there is a God is the fact that I cover my couches with blankets because the beautiful dog sheds buckets of fur each day. I flew into action, stripping the couch of the blanket and putting it on the longest, hottest wash cycle known to man. Then I went back to assess if there were other squirrel parts in my living room. I found two small drops of blood which I cleaned up while trying not to vomit.

But first I locked the dog door. No way was the squirrel murderer coming back in. At least not until he drank a pail of soapy water and SCOPE mouthwash.

Then I vacuumed. I went over every inch of my house with the powerful vacuum hoping that any loose squirrel fur or pieces would be sucked away forever. And meanwhile, what was the beautiful dog doing?

That’s right. He was begging to come in with that tongue that had lapped squirrel blood hanging out of his mouth. No way. I figured at least an hour of repentance and swallowing was necessary before he could come back in.

So I can’t get away from it. The battle for life or death follows me wherever I go. I mourned for that squirrel. I feed the beautiful dog plenty of nice packaged kibble. He doesn’t need to kill squirrels. But he is not satisfied with what his master has provided for him, and takes matters into his own murderous paws.

I could not help but think back to my call with the abortion-minded mother. I grieve for the Eden we lost when we were first deceived by Satan and turned from God and all His promises of provision and protection.

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Luke 6:46 

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Matthew 7:21 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

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My new pro-life novel which explores the truth of God’s word regarding the unborn and the Lordship of Christ in an entertaining series is newly available on Amazon in both print and ebook format. Click here for information.

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A Big Win For Pro-Life Free Speech

A trial took place yesterday in Charlotte that no news organization bothered to notice or cover, but it was a major victory for free speech and specifically Biblically motivated speech, especially given the political/moral climate these days. A moment in the trial is seared in my memory: Pastor Flip Benham took the stand to defend himself, and laid his open Bible before him on the witness stand as he took his seat. The prosecuting attorney leaped to her feet and  objected before a single question was asked. The judge looked flummoxed. 

“What are you objecting?”he asked.

“The open Bible on the stand.”

“Why?”

“He could need that...he could have notes in there.”

The judge looked a bit annoyed, but asked Flip if he could close the Bible.

“I could,” he said, “But I was going to quote directly from it.”

“Can you quote without looking at it?”the judge asked.

“Yes...”

“Please close the Bible.”

So Flip’s attorney now began his questioning with this classic line: “Well of course he NEEDS it...we all NEED it....”

That was not as wonderful a moment as later in the trial. During cross-examination,  the prosecution  asked Flip to repeat what he said to the plaintiff that was the root of the entire case against Flip.

Flip answered, “ I said, you are dead, you are dead in your transgressions and sins...”

“Objection!”shouted the prosecution.

The judge stared at her. 

“You can’t object to your own question,” he said.

The accuser, who I will call J, accused Flip Benham, a pro-life pastor, of threatening to kill her. J is the same person who swerved in her car to hit me several times when I was ministering with Cities4Life to abortion minded women in front of the busiest abortion center in the SE. When I told her how dangerous and foolhardy that was, still crying from one particularly close call, she taunted, “Oh boo hoo! Vicky is scared. Go tell the cops!” J is also the person who played sexually explicit recordings at full volume over a sound system as our team prayed. Children were there with us. We have this on video. In the encounter with Flip in front of the abortion center, she was speaking on a bullhorn telling a group of people gathered to pray with their children about the finer points of masturbation.

But back to her accusation which led to the trial.

Flip went  to her, following the vile things she was spewing over the megaphone, and said, “You are dead, you are dead in your sin. You are dead in your trespasses, and out of your heart proceeds the filth from your mouth....” 

There were at least fifteen policemen there on site. J did not go to a single one to express her terror of death at the hands of Pastor Flip. She went to the magistrate later to file charges, saying Pastor Flip had threatened to kill her and she wanted him arrested. She feared for her life. The prosecution, and J, claimed that Flip said, “You are dead,” three times, but they did not finish his statement, which you can find for yourself in Ephesians 2:

Ephesians 2:1-5 NIV

[1] As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...

Take note: J was not arrested or even cautioned for telling a group of children about masturbation or for playing sexually explicit recordings as children prayed with their parents for the women aborting their babies...but Pastor Flip Benham was arrested and brought to trial for sharing the Gospel. Free speech is only free speech when the message is one that meets prevailing political agendas, I guess.

The trial proceeded. The prosecution, determined to show that what Flip said was threatening, asked him six ways to Sunday to repeat what he had said. He was given at least five opportunities to share the Gospel...which he did...to a captive audience who was not allowed to speak or interrupt. 

It was one of God’s finest moments, in my opinion.

In the end, the judge found Flip not guilty of the charges. 

Meanwhile, back at the abortion center, one mom changed her mind and chose life. I had been there before racing to the trial. Today, I assume Flip will be back, doing what Flip has been doing for decades: Speaking for the unborn, and challenging everyone he encounters to put their trust and faith in the only one who can heal their heart of darkness. Jesus. 

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Ephesians 2:1-5 NIV

[1] As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, [2] in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. [3] All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. [4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved.

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For latest pro-life novel click 

HERE.

How to Point Abortion-Minded Women to God

Nearly every day I receive texts like the one above from moms who chose life over abortion. Sometimes the texts are expressing needs, and then I relay those on to our Cities4Life  network of friends and supporters. Almost always, those needs are met.  Sometimes the texts are of women still in crisis who need to know there is someone who will hear them, and help them refocus on God and Truth regarding the precious nature of the child within their womb. Sometimes, the texts are simply to express gratitude and delight in following God and loving their child. Often the texts express regret that they ever considered abortion, knowing what they know now.

It is an enormous privilege to work with a ministry that understands true change in heart and behavior begins with true change in belief. If Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, our behavior will follow that belief. Changing behavior without changing beliefs will never endure.

I have been a sidewalk counselor for life at the busiest abortion center in the Southeast for five years now. I have collected hundreds of stories over those years, and learned first hand the deception and destruction of abortion. I have also experienced countless glorious times the night and day change in behavior and attitude towards the unborn when the Gospel is shared and accepted as true.

God has always given me a desire to write. I have always loved story-telling, as long as I can remember. It is one of the reasons I am so in love with Jesus. He was a master story-teller and He used the power of stories, parables, to change the world. So when I write, I feel the pleasure and prompting of God to tell stories that will bring Him glory and draw others to Him.

My latest series is fiction, but based on my experiences on the sidewalks of the abortion centers. While no character is meant to represent a single living person, each character is based on compilations of actual events and people I have encountered over the years. I pray these books will be a source of joy to my readers, but also perhaps a guide in how to confront abortion in a God-honoring way.

If interested Book 1 can be found HERE.

Book 2, just released, is available HERE.

To all of you who love life and know that the unborn deserve our mutual protection, thank you. Keep spreading truth. In the end, God wins.

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1 Corinthians 9:24 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Until the Time of Singing

I turned the heat on for the first time this morning. Ragnar, our visitor from Siberia, is thrilled with the arctic blast. I huddled by the heater with a steamy cup of coffee. He told me that the sooner we got out for our run in that frosty morning, the better.

I will be honest, a touch of dread fills me as winter approaches. The older I get, the more challenging the cold becomes for me. I stand for several hours several mornings a week on the sidewalk of the busiest abortion center in the SE. Even moderate cold chills me to the bone. And it is always colder in front of the abortion center. What is happening in that building sends a mind-numbing chill to the entire community...as it should.

Which makes me doubly sad that sometimes we cannot fill the sidewalks with enough volunteers to effectively reach the women with our offers of help and resources, and the love of Christ. It is our city that hosts this horror. It is in our city that dozens of babies die gruesome deaths there everyday. Where are the Christ-followers who have the only message that can truly change this culture of death? Maybe sitting in their nice warm homes...

They are missing out. I received two texts this week with photos of new babies born to moms Cities4Life had helped who chose life over abortion. My favorite: "I can't wait for you to meet him. If you hadn't been there, he wouldn't be here."

I pulled out my heated jacket and heated gloves and recharged the batteries to be ready for the chilly day forecast for today. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the sequel of my latest series for publication. The series is fiction, but based upon people and events I encounter at the abortion center. It is told through the eyes of a former abortion worker as she comes to know God, forgiveness, and redemption through Christ. On the journey with her is a dog who almost talks her language. I called the dog Bo, surprisingly before my first grandson was conceived...who is named Beau.

Ragnar is excited by the cold, and I am facing it with trepidation. If you are curled up on your warm couch and want to be prepared to read the second book in my new series which might encourage you to be a part of the ministry that helps women choose life, you can find the first book HERE.  While it deals with a very serious subject, it is told with humor and there's a mystery and love story to spice the interest.

Ragnar eyes my heated apparel, and snickers. He, like Bo in my novel, can almost speak English as well. He tells me, "60 degrees is a heat-wave where my ancestors come from." 

"That may be," I reply, "But I don't have a fur coat like you. I have batteries, and the warmth that comes from knowing winter will pass, and the hope that one day babies will be safe in their mothers' wombs again."

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land

But Babies Are Dying- A Challenge to Us All

This young man, 23-years-old, spends his days all week pleading for the life of the unborn. He was in ministry school when God caught hold of his heart, and broke it for the plight of the babies whose last moments on earth involved being dismembered and ripped violently from the womb with their own mothers’ consent. Elijah graduated and continued working with Cities4Life, while working two other jobs to pay the bills. Yes, really. Not your average 23-year-old man.

On his rare times off from the sidewalks of the busiest abortion center, he tells me he frets if he knows the Cities4Life teams are short-staffed, or worse, absent. 

“Babies are dying,” he tells me over and over again when I encourage him to take a break.

In the past few months, the police have begun issuing tickets and warnings of imprisonment if we step on the public sidewalk across the driveway to hand our life-saving literature to car drivers as they enter the abortion clinic. Despite the fact that we have shown the officers the Supreme Court cases where it was determined that pro-life groups offering help outside abortion clinics may do so as long as they do not obstruct the forward progress of the car, we were threatened that if we stepped even one step onto the driveway or street, we would be ticketed.

“I cannot let someone drive in who wants our help and do nothing,” Elijah told me, ‘Babies are dying.”

Over the course of a couple of weeks, Elijah was ticketed three times. The driver slowed, rolled down the car window, reached out her hand, and Elijah took one step forward to offer her our literature. (Women have left the abortion center and chosen life sometimes simply by reading the booklet offering hope, help, and truth of human development.) Elijah was immediately ticketed, and threatened with arrest if he did it again. All this while it is perfectly legal for a mother to carry a living human baby in her womb into a building where the child will be dismembered without anesthesia and then put in a biohazard bag to be incinerated as medical waste.

For a decade, we have peacefully gathered on the sidewalks of the abortion center and pleaded for the babies. We offer resources and help. There has never, NOT ONCE, been a single traffic incident as a result of us handing cars our literature as they enter or leave the abortion center. The new rule is supposedly for “safety purposes.”  We know that our presence decreases abortions at this multi-million dollar for profit business. It was their minions who complained about our passing out literature. 

Cities4Life intends to fight this clear violation of our first amendment right. Literature and pamphlets are considered part of “free speech” and it has been settled at the highest levels legislatively that as long as we do not interfere with the forward progress of a vehicle, we may offer our information. We were told that ‘interfere’ is purposely NOT defined in city law so that officers can use discretion. In other words, “interfere” becomes what they want it to be. Our director has sought a meeting with the chief of police repeatedly, to no avail. 

Unfortunately, we are a small ministry, and our limited funds are used to help the women who choose life. Those needs are enormous. Fighting a court case is expensive.

We need help. Last year, 500 babies were saved right there at the abortion center in Charlotte through the efforts of Cities4life teams. This year, that number will likely be matched or exceeded. Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood worker who partners with our ministry to help abortion workers leave the abortion industry, told us that there is a 70% increase in no-shows for abortion when pro-life counselors stand on the sidewalks offering help.

Will you help us? Maybe you are unable to join us on the sidewalk, but if all of you who read this blog contribute $5 or $10 to Cites4life, we have a lawyer who can effectively fight this case. Please go HERE and  in the notes section indicate the donation is to fight the unfair infringement on our first ammendment right to offer information.

“I don’t want to go to jail,” Elijah tells me, “But I won’t stop handing out our information. Babies are dying.”

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Proverbs 24:11-12 

  

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?