Abortion opponents denounce Catholic church

[ Scott Keeler | Times]

From left, anti-abortion protesters Randall Terry, Francisco Gonzalez, Joseph Landry, and Andrea Terry, all of St. Augustine, talk to the media today outside of the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG -- A group of anti-abortion activists criticized a local Catholic Church this afternoon, saying church officials had them arrested for passing out literature decrying abortion.

The activists, part of Randall Terry's organization, were handing out pamphlets Sunday comparing politicians who support abortion rights to politicians who support slavery. The cover of the pamphlet (left, click to enlarge) says: "Real Solutions for the Negro problem." Terry said it's intended as satire.

Police arrested two people on trespassing charges Sunday at St. Jude's Catholic Church: Terry's 32-year-old wife, Andrea Sue Terry, and 26-year-old Joseph Landry, a member of Terry's organization Society for Truth and Justice.

Landry said he pleaded with church officials to not call police, saying it was his duty as a Catholic to spread the pro-life message. But they still called police.

Today is the 35th Anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

"It is our duty as pro-life Catholics to promote the pro-life message and encourage Catholics to vote pro-life," Terry said.

Randall Terry is a best known for founding the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue and was a spokesman for Terri Schiavo's parents.

-- Abhi Raghunathan, staff writer

Comments

Hey idiot-Terry. You may get the chance fulfill your duty in jail. Hope you have a long run! LOL

[Dame Shame]

Really you put Church and Politics to justify you saying Negro. You people are sad Human beings. You love to call us Thugs but i wonder why is it because you keep reminding us that you still Hate Blacks so much. Pro Life or Pro Choice you still shouldn't use this word in your refernce. Just another example of church telling you how to Think. You know what Blacks get reminded everyday how much you people Hate Them. This World is Joke along with the fake Churches and Priest that go with it.

[Ron]

Well this guy sounds like an idiot, but this is truly poor reporting by the SPT. There is no mention of the charges that led to his arrest. There is no law against distributing repugnant literature, as long as it's not pornographic. It would be nice if the SPT would take the time to provide the facts regarding why they were arrested.

[newres]

Negro is NOT a bad word! It is not the infamous N..... word. The point of the brochure was to compare the SIN of abortion and of slavery. Negro out of wedlock births are astoundingly high and so are their rate of abortions, so the comparison is appropriate.
Shame on that church! The Terry's have sacrificed so much for the unborn, they are heroes.

[Tom Scherberger, tampabay.com deputy metro editor]

Ron, thanks for pointing out that omission. The post has been updated to make it clear that they were arrested on trespassing charges.

[JOHN]

dame shame. First spelled dame is spelled incorrectly. 2nd are you serious? the word negro? which, I am sure in all of your wisdom you already know is black in spanish. You complain about a white person saying negro when 99.9% of your cultures youth dances around To trash they call music where every other word is Nigg*r?? Or the F word. It is seen as a term of endearment for one another. Let me guess, you feel it is ok for blacks to say it right? Maybe if your community spent a bit more time cleaning up their image, pulling up their pants and quit allowing 12, 13, and 14 year olds to continue breeding they would be seen as productive members of socity. I am sure someone here is going to call me a racist but in reailty just about everyone here knows I am a realist.

[Mike]

First off, if these people were really arrested for passing out literature, then their First Amendment rights were violated. People have the right to say things that are unpopular, wrong, or even abhorrent. It is a dangerous thing when the government starts regulating political speech. That free exchange of ideas is one of the cornerstones of self-government. I’m sorry for those of you who are offended. But there is no guaranteed freedom from offense.

The ironic thing is that blacks babies are disproportionately the victims of abortion. 363,024 black babies were aborted in 2005. Black women make up about 13 percent of the female population in the U.S., yet they account for over a third of all abortions. In fact, one of the driving philosophies of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was Eugenics, a pseudo-science that claims some races are genetically inferior and more fit survive than others. In her 1922 book Pivot of Civilization, Sanger called for segregation of “morons, misfits, and the maladjusted” and sterilization of “genetically inferior races.”
Three guesses at to which race she considered inferior. She also created the Negro Project in 1939. Sanger wrote, “The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We do not want the word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”

It would seem to me people are worked up about the wrong thing.

[Frank]

Quite typical of the Catholic Church in America today! Most members are blatant hypocrites who preach one thing and do another!

Ahhh yes, lily white guy passing out a flyer in St. Pete (known for its deep sense of racial harmony . . .sigh)with the word "negro" on it, the day after MLK day.

Yup, that'll go over well.

What were they protesting again?

Church property is private property - they say shoo and you don't leave? That's trespassing - who cares what the brochure said? Your First Amendment rights end at the property line.

And I agree with the post above, in these days where the Uhruhus run the city this church would be INSANE not to take steps to prevent that pamphlet from being distributed on their property.

[Mike]

I was still typing when the Times editor clarified the charge was trespassing and that being the case, the arrest is certainly legit.

But the point about the First Amendment is still valid. I don't see anybody posting in protest of their tresspassing.

[Dallas]

Nice misleading sensationalistic headline on the homepage. "What were they thinking here?". Surely your sarcasm was not intended to convey that you dislike free expression. Yes, the way that you present it initially looks bad, but your mission to tell the truth waits for the article.

[Jim]

Frankly, whatever message they were trying to get across was totally lost due to their infantile tactics.

As a Catholic, I do not want these people sitting next to me at church. The church did the right thing by calling police and having them escorted away.

[Bob]

I'm sure the Catholic church would have allowed them to have an anti-abotion rally on their property but they have the right to control the way the message is conveyed. Anything that happens on their property reflects back on the church. The church was right to prevent a potentially offensive message from delivered on their behalf. Now back off and work with the Catholic church instead of against it. Both groups do have some common goals.

[Senor T]

Nego please, Da peep be showin my homies disrespect, just like Orenthal James.

[berg]

Mike,
the only thing we should be worked up about is that people actually BELIEVE what you wrote. Seriously, planned parenthood was formed to get rid of the negro population?? What is wrong with you??

I hope you know how ridiculous you look to the rest of the country. That this is even a discussion is a waste of time.

Oh- and about those "rights"-- AMAZING that Freedom of Speech is touted over Freedom of Choice! Wow. really.

[K]

the truth hurts sometimes

[Lucia]

Margaret Sanger, mother of the contraception movement, believed limiting babies would be a way of controlling "undesirable" populations. Do the research before you form an opinion, K.

[Pat]

It's time for Randall Terry and these disgusting people to get out of women's faces and let us be - we can take care of ourselves. It's none of their business what we do. They have no right to tell women what to do about anything - they are just control freaks!! I'm glad they were arrested. Just wish they could stay in jail for good.
They are only trouble. Planned Parenthood is one of the best organizations around.

[Pat]

It's time for Randall Terry and these disgusting people to get out of women's faces and let us be - we can take care of ourselves. It's none of their business what we do. They have no right to tell women what to do about anything - they are just control freaks!! I'm glad they were arrested. Just wish they could stay in jail for good.
They are only trouble. Planned Parenthood is one of the best organizations around.

[TW]

John, your 99.9% shows that you really dont have a clue. You just go with whatever the media feeds you. Also, if some of you guys look at the true reality the young white unwed teens & pre-teens are getting pregnant just as much as the black kids. The true point is there message should have nothing to do with race, just another chance to further racial problems in this country

Well racism is alive and well in the Tampa Bay area on both sides of te house. No surprise of course, but have you all no shame? Thanks all on both sides for showing out with your classless posts.
Obama doesn't have a prayer....

[Dame Shame]

John of The Klan.. I guess spelled Dame like that on purpose Huh. Understand that most Black people know whites commit the same crimes and are the main ones using drugs but that stuff never gets reported unless your Brittany Spears. I understand there are problems in the black comm. but it good to know that people like you will never give a chance or job to better ourself. The real republican Party which stands for keep everything White and too Ourselves. I guess that why you have a Black Man and Woman running for President and i sickens you don't it. I apologize that i didn't stay on the subject because some of you have a great points from both sides. Both the hating on Black Stuff really sickens me knowing those same 12, 13, and 14 will never get a shot from John. when his niece dresses the same. Grow up it is not their fault they imitate image of TV. Didn't you.

The Catholic Church lost all credibility years ago when it silenced Father Charles Coughlin.

John 5:13 either just bought Cathy Salustri's house in Barlett Park or he plagiarized a Bill Maxwell column.

You mean Bartlett Park, unless someone stole the "t"

The Catholic Church regained its credibility right after the McCoughlin fiasco when the Pope pronounced from Italy in the 1990s, "Oh, yeah, and the earth is not flat."

Randall Terry is a creep.

[Julie Latimer]

Maybe it is hypocritical of an atheist to say "AMEN" to the "Randall Terry is a creep" post, but to me, nothing is more creepy than these nut jobs who think, no matter WHAT they do, they'll be forgiven by some distant higher power....

[Jo Garcia]

Hurry...Call Jessie and Al, we need another march! Don't worry about some dumb politic whom you can vote "NO" for or against. Besides the Latino's are far ahead of the NEGRO'S now, no way they can catch up. Just worry about cleaning up your TRASHY houses!

So when did Bishop Lynch become pro abortion? Is he also pro homosexual in the homsexual capital St. Petersburg?

And St. Petersburg wants the Vatican artifacts to come to Homosexual St. Petersburg? This has been sent to the Pope.

And the Pope responded,

"Dude, we're Catholic. We need to raise every penny we can to pay off the alterboys who were molested by our clergy. If we have to send some dusty old crap to St. Pete USA to make a buck, you bet your sweet saints we're gonna do it!

Thank you for your letter, a thousand blessings on your house, Amen."

[NF]

berg,

The Negro cleansing by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger is true. Do the research and wake up! The fact is; she did created the Negro Project in 1939. She wrote, “The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We do not want the word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”

Sorry, the truth does hurt.

There is a connection here between Slavery and Abortion. Abortion being the moral evil of our day as Slavery was of the past. Terry was trying to make this point through satire and it seems to me that anyone or any church that believes that abortion is intrinsically evil would have supported him and not have had him arrested. As a traditional Catholic, you know, not heterodox, I'm embarrassed for the Bishop. If it was, in fact the Bishop that had him arrested. This article however didn't have much information in the way of facts. Mostly fodder for a race debate. The sad thing is, all Terry is trying to do is save lives and make people aware of the evil that is Planned Parenthood and abortion on demand.

[T]

Hey "Dame Shame" I live deep on the south side of St. Pete... all my neighbors are black (and super nice people, I might add) I am blonde haired blue eyed, but I have to admit I have been the one prejudiced in my neighborhood. YOU sound like you are very prejudice... everything that happens in the black community is not the fault of white people. I'm not saying there aren't still serious issues but that goes both ways! In fact that goes ALL ways... whites against blacks, blacks against whites, blacks against blacks, whites against whites...and so on. My neighbors watch out for me, thank god because too many times I have been the victim of crime in my neighborhood, and even my neighbors have said it is probably someone that is prejudice agaist me because I am white. Well I am way to young to have been a "slave keeper" so I am tired of still being blamed for it... These people at the church SHOULD have been arrested, they were on property they were asked to leave, they didn't.. case closed. Whatever wording they used, be it right or wrong is irrelevant. We are ALL WAY TOO sensitive to every word, remark or action that comes from people we don't even know and don't give a damn about! Who gives a crap what these people do... they can preach all the anti-abortion crap they want, if you don't agree.. don't listen..that's what I do!

[Nick (NF)]

Memo to T; we're ALL too young to have been a "slave keeper." Nice going Dame Shame, you turn this into a race issue. What are you on Al Sharpton's payroll or something? This is about the slaughtering of innocent lives on a daily basis - not anti-abortion crap. That's the problem with our society; the devaluing of life not race.

[T]

Hey Nick....We are!! durrr...I didn't realize that. Keep your sarcasm to yourself.

[Nick]

T, keep your racism to yourself.