A man suspected of assaulting two pro-life activists outside of a Baltimore Planned Parenthood clinic was arrested according to a Thursday press release from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
The incident occurred last year when a group of pro-lifers were ministering to people outside of the abortion clinic according to the ACLJ.
Both Mr. Schaefer (then-84) and Mr. Crosby (then-73) had a long history of ministering outside Planned Parenthood. In fact, Mr. Schaefer had a regular shift in front of Planned Parenthood – two hours a day for five days a week. Both men wanted nothing more than to save babies and share lifesaving alternatives with struggling mothers.
On May 26, 2023, Mr. Schaefer was on the sidewalk next to the Planned Parenthood clinic so he could speak with pedestrians and people in cars passing by, while Mr. Crosby held a sign and stood in front of Planned Parenthood. Three Planned Parenthood volunteers (“escorts”) were also present.
Everything went as usual until about 10:15 a.m. when Mr. Schaefer was approached by a large man – about 6’2” – who stopped to chat with him. The man spoke in a loud and animated manner but was not overly hostile. He objected to Mr. Schaefer and Mr. Crosby standing outside Planned Parenthood on the grounds that “God gave everyone free choice” and “God is all merciful. Everyone is forgiven, so what are you doing here?”
The man indicated he saw no reason for people who oppose abortion to encourage women wanting to get an abortion to seek other alternatives. Mr. Schaefer spoke with the man for a few minutes before feeling that there was nothing to be gained by speaking with him further.
Shortly after the exchange, the suspect began his assault, tackling Schaefer to the ground. “Mr. Schaefer had only turned around for a moment when he felt like he was hit by a truck – in fact, he believed that he had been hit by a truck,” the ACLJ explained. “The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground with dirt all over him. Everything was fuzzy, and two ambulances and some police cars were present.”
Crosby attempted to intervene and stop the assailant. The suspect knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the head. Both victims were knocked unconscious during the encounter.
Both men sustained extensive injuries. Mr. Schaefer had cuts and scrapes all over his body, as well as a cut on his hand that required special bandaging. Mr. Crosby sustained traumatic injuries to his head, including a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs. Mr. Crosby required several surgeries on his face.
There has been a sharp rise in violence against pro-life activists and their organizations. The uptick started shortly after it became apparent that the Supreme Court was set to overturn Roe v. Wade. Pro-abortion activists vandalized and firebombed buildings belonging to pro-life organizations.
In other cases, pro-abortion advocates have violently assaulted pro-lifers.
Unfortunately, Biden’s Justice Department has been more focused on arresting and imprisoning nonviolent pro-life advocates than on going after pro-abortion activists who engage in violence.
