Don’t Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Smear Campaign
Clearing the Confusion about Operation Rescue.
The Troy Newman smear campaign has been trending on social media for days and preoccupied pro-lifers around the world as we waited to see the outcome of his outrageous detention in Melbourne. (For more information, see Who’s Afraid of Troy Newman?)
We always knew this was nothing to do with his visa. Many rumours have been circulating: did this happen because he had been arrested so many times? Does he really want the death penalty for abortion providers? Does he think post-abortive women are murderers?
Well, basically, people believe what they want to believe, but here are some facts:
- Troy Newman’s visa was approved 2 months ago - before the CMP videos were released. That means that before Planned Parenthood received so much unexpected attention, Newman was deemed not to have been a threat to this country. But, once abortion advocates, notably MP Terri Butler, became aware of his upcoming tour, there was no stopping their frenzied efforts to destroy his reputation.
- Newman’s words from his book, Their Blood Cries Out, have been wildly misquoted by the Australian abortion lobby, politicians, and their minions, the mainstream media. I haven’t been able to get hold of the book or quote in question personally, although you can read a different chapter online here. From what I’ve seen, the offending section refers to Newman’s call for abortion providers to be tried under the same law as murderers, and - in the nations or states that allow it - potentially receive the death penalty. This is a far cry from actively promoting vigilante-style attacks on abortion facility workers, as his opposition has claimed.
- Troy Newman’s pro-life achievements speak for themselves: 25 years of active pro-life work, with no charges for violent behaviour. His organisation has the most accurate records of abortion facilities known to exist and is housed in a building which was once the site of an around 50,000 abortions. OR has been instrumental in closing a dozen abortion facilities, and shares their resources to encourage other organisations to use every legal means to do the same.
- On social media, many allegations were also directed at Operation Rescue’s Senior policy Advisor, Cheryl Sullenger. Although Cheryl has saved over 2,500 babies from abortion, pro-choice mouthpieces latched on to her prior conviction for conspiracy. From the OR website:
“In a 1987 act she now regrets, Sullenger was charged and pled guilty to conspiracy to damage an abortion clinic. Even though the clinic was not damaged, Sullenger took responsibility for her actions, and served 2 years in Federal Prison. Since then, Sullenger has openly denounced violence as a means to stop abortion and has worked for over two decades as an advocate of peaceful activism as a means to save babies and stop abortion.”
-
Troy Newman and Operation Rescue are no strangers to controversy: This disclaimer is from their website:
* Operation Rescue was among the first to denounce the murder of late-term abortionist George Tiller in 2009. All accusations, implications, or inferences that there was any involvement by Operation Rescue in the death of George Tiller is completely false. Operation Rescue and its staff were not involved in any way. Operation Rescue explicitly denounces violence in any form as a means of ending abortion. [Read our press statement regarding the death of George Tiller]
* Randall Terry is not associated with nor does he speak for Operation Rescue. Read statements about this.
* lnformation about Operation Rescue and Troy Newman found on Wikipedia is inaccurate and should be ignored. It should also be noted that numerous independent blog sites found on the Internet have no accountability and should not be trusted as a source of accurate information about Operation Rescue. If anyone has any questions about us, please contact us directly.
Troy Newmans’ detention has set a dangerous precedent in this country - it is now apparently possible for unsubstantiated claims to form the basis for snap decisions by the Immigration Department. It remains to be seen if there will be any legal action taken against the government, but if nothing else, an apology is certainly due. This matter, rather than tarnishing Newman’s reputation, has tainted that of Australia.
For more information, read: How Troy Newman Rescued Operation Rescue.
Related article: Who’s Afraid of Troy Newman?
