Washington Post Promotes Randall Terry's Anti-Abortion 'Mission,' Fails to Question Inflammatory Brochure

July 16, 2009

By Lisa Bennett, Communications Director, and Jess Hobbs, Communications Intern

Randall Terry, founder of aggressive anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, is back in action with his latest fear-mongering campaign: a 12-city "Defeat Sotomayor" tour. Terry's tour ended in Washington, D.C., in time for the July 13 opening of Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Apparently lured by Terry's media stunt, The Washington Post published a lengthy article on July 15, complete with two large photos, profiling the infamous anti-abortion rights activist. The article -- which ran in the Style section and is painfully light given Terry's history of excessive shock tactics and direct harassment of abortion service providers and patients -- provides only an allusion to the real threat Terry poses.

Writer Jacqueline L. Salmon touches briefly on Terry's theatrics outside the Supreme Court: baby dolls in miniature coffins, copies of the Roe v. Wade court decision smeared with fake blood, and a demonstrator in a judge's robe holding a Grim Reaper sickle. Salmon spends more time trying to paint Terry as an average, honest family man, an almost sympathetic character who has experienced bankruptcy (fines and lawsuits over harassment at clinics), divorce and marriage to a second wife, a son who came out as gay and two daughters who became pregnant "out of wedlock" and his determination to revive his leadership role in the anti-abortion rights movement.

The article fails to delve into the impact of Terry's "mission" on women seeking reproductive health services or the health care workers and clinics that provide those services. The article does quote Terry on the recent murder of Dr. George Tiller: "Tiller was a mass murderer, and, horrifically, he reaped what he sowed." But Salmon focuses only on how those words might impact Terry's chances of regaining his "glory years" or attracting new members to his cause.

One large, material component of Terry's current campaign is missing entirely from the Post piece: the disturbing and shocking brochure.

Terry created a brochure for his anti-Sotomayor campaign -- a frightening piece of propaganda bursting with exaggerated claims, horrific and misleading artwork, and inflammatory, violent speech.

The cover picture morphs Sotomayor's face with a skull, above the words "Fifty Million Children are dead by abortion in America. If placed on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor will uphold Roe vs. Wade, and keep the blood flowing."

Terry repeatedly encourages his flock to "fight" Sotomayor's nomination, referring to the hearing as a "battle" which must be won "to defend the babies."

The brochure ostensibly is an argument in favor of a Senate filibuster of Sotomayor's confirmation. But some language goes further, arguably promoting the same sort of violent activity used for years against clinics and doctors. The brochure refers again and again to Sotomayor, President Obama, Democratic Senators and NOW as "child-killers" guilty of a "murderous holocaust of children."

And get this: "If your life was threatened, and the very person threatening your life was being considered as a judge in a case where they could order your death, what would you want the rest of us to do for you? That is what you should do." You'd think the Washington Post might want to ask Terry about printing something like that so soon after the murder of a doctor.

NOW remains confident that Sotomayor's confirmation will not be directly affected by Terry's brand of extreme anti-choice propaganda. But the climate created by zealots like Terry can threaten women's reproductive freedom and it is in this heated environment that doctors end up being killed. Without a president and Congress on their side, anti-abortion forces are feeling threatened. That's why it's more important than ever that we stand up for reproductive justice. Sign NOW's pledge and show your support.

(WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES) See Randall Terry's brochure for yourself (PDF)