The hits just keep on coming – to pro-lifers, that is. We recently learned about attempts to silence Cheri Britt, Director of Life Ministries in the Virginia Beach area, who was given a criminal citation by police officers for simply standing on a public sidewalk near her mobile ultrasound RV—where she offers women free ultrasounds and baby supplies – just as she has every day for years.
Never mind that there were far fewer than 10 people there, who observed proper “social distancing” the entire time, and were providing needed services and medical care via ultrasounds. According to these police officers, who could not be persuaded otherwise, she was committing a criminal offense of “Failure to comply with Governor’s Executive Order 55.”
In the videos she recorded of the whole ordeal, the best the officers could come up with as to why she was breaking the law was that she was “standing on the sidewalk” and was “communicating with” clients on their way to the nearby Planned Parenthood. Executive Order 55 creates no such prohibitions. Even beyond that, there’s that little thing called the U.S. Constitution that comes into play.
Given the importance of this situation and the incredible work of this pro-life ministry, The Family Foundation has decided to team up with the National Legal Foundation to legally represent Cheri Britt in her case. In addition to hopefully helping to vindicate her rights, this could go a long way in safeguarding the rights of all Virginians who would so courageously and sacrificially offer these vulnerable and conflicted women the support they need to choose life.
Britt’s case is just the latest in a recent string of outrageous citations or arrests of pro-life sidewalk counselors in other states. (Click HERE for the Benham Brother arrest, or HERE for pro-lifers arrested in Michigan, or HERE for seven pro-lifers arrested in North Carolina. These are just a sampling.) Several of these were caught on tape, so it is relatively easy to judge who’s being unreasonable and whether they are complying with the various orders and ordinances.
In Cheri Britt’s case, and probably the others too, it was Planned Parenthood who called the police to have her removed. Numerous officers drove by, while several others just watched her from their parked police vehicles. Eventually, two officers came to threaten her with a “Class 1 Summons. . . jailable up to a year”—and demanded that she leave. When they came back shortly thereafter, they wrote her a summons to appear in court.
We have already witnessed numerous examples of the grossly imbalanced treatment of the abortion industry during COVID-19 versus peaceful and law-abiding pro-lifers. (See our recent blogs, Gov. Northam Bans All Elective Surgeries, Exempts Abortions and Mark Herring Pushes for Abortions via Zoom!) The double standard is glaring: On one hand abortion at all stages of pregnancy is granted a specific exemption from the current ban on elective medical procedures. Meanwhile, a legitimate healthcare ministry providing free ultrasounds to low-income women—which are still by law REQUIRED to be performed before an abortion can take place—is being declared nonessential and even illegal.
We understand police officers have a very challenging job, and that is especially true in these unprecedented times involving a global pandemic. We all need to gracious and patient during these days. Nevertheless, it’s their job to understand the laws and orders they are tasked with enforcing, along with the proper and reasonable application of those laws. So, it’s very interesting to see so many examples of peaceful pro-life sidewalk counselors be the ones getting cited and arrested.
We’ve decided that we’re not going to sit by and let good people like Cheri Britt be punished for the work of saving lives. She told us she found out that twin babies were saved that day because of her organization’s work. We’re proud to stand by her and others like her, and we look forward to telling you more about it.
