Catholic League Intervenes. Profane Image of Jesus Returns to Rockford Abortion Facility

The clinics blasphemous picture of Jesus is back up. A devotional picture used by those praying outside was removed.

ROCKFORD, Il (Catholic Online) - We just received a copy of this third letter which was sent by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League in order to seek redress against the return of the sacrilegious display:

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Mr. Patrick W. Hayes City of Rockford Legal Department 425 East State Street Rockford, IL 61104

Dear Mr. Hayes:

Catholic residents of Rockford have contacted me again about several matters regarding the controversy over the Northern Illinois Women's Center. While all of the issues raised are, if true, very disturbing, the only one that can legitimately occupy my time is the one I wrote to you about initially: the obscene portrayal of Jesus with his middle finger extended at Christians.

When we last exchanged letters, I thought that this specific issue was resolved. But now I have learned that there is a new depiction, this time with Jesus giving the finger with both hands. Is this true? And if so, what can be done about it? My central concern is to shield local Catholics from having their religious sensibilities assaulted, and to stop this conflict from escalating.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,William A. Donohue, Ph.D
President, Catholic League
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We covered the events which recently occurred at the "Northern Illinois Women's Center" in Rockford, Illinois. Not only is the place a literal "House of Horrors" inside, where children are killed and women are lied to, but the operators of the abortion facility had been involved in displaying blasphemous images of our Lord and using them to taunt and harass the peaceful Pro-Life protestors who stand outside daily praying and speaking the truth.

Through the exposure and the efforts of the Catholic League, the offensive display was removed. However, it appears that a new one has replaced it in the clinic window with the same sacrilegious posture, only this time it is with two hands. The story gets even stranger. We present an update from a Pro-Life hero who serves the cause of life outside that horrid place. It seems that a perfectly appropriate picture of Jesus used by those praying outside, one which in no way contained anything offensive, was removed at the insistence of the operators of the clinic by the Police. That prompts us to ask why a devotional Picture of Jesus has 'been arrested' but a sacreligious, offensive one is back in the clinic window? Though our writer disclosed his name, as well as the names of those whose reactions are listed after the account, I have left them out of this report in order to protect their identities as this sad story continues.:

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"This is a description of what happened at 8:00am on October 7th at Rockford's abortion clinic. I think the description which I am also forwarding to our lawyer at the Thomas More Society explains it honestly and clearly. The clinics picture of Jesus giving "the finger" is back up but now it is giving "the finger" with two hands.

On Wednesday October 7th I was standing and praying on the grass between the public sidewalk and the street in front of the Northern Illinois Woman's Center. The security officer of the abortion facility got on his public address system and told me to move. I have stood here for over ten years so I kept praying.

A few minutes later the security officer/landlord came out and spoke with a police officer. The police officer immediately came over to me and told me I had to hold the sign of Jesus that was just a couple of feet away from me. I responded that I was standing right next to it.

I informed the officer that the video camera I was holding in plain sight was running and he ordered me to stop recording. I told him the abortion facility has over a dozen cameras and microphones on us at this very moment. He again ordered me to shut off my camera so I did. He told me I had to hold my sign, I said "I am right next to it". He got on his radio and waited for a supervisor to come.

The supervisor came and Mr. Webster, the clinic security officer, spoke with him. This is the same supervisor who a week earlier when asked by Mr. John Smith of Rockford if he thought the sign of Jesus giving the "F.... you" sign with both hands was offensive (in possible violation of Part I, Chapters 19-3 and 19-4, *Offensive Uses of Property* and *Permitting Offensive Use of Property,*) and the officer said "no it's not offensive." It seems this same officer was offended by my sign of Jesus which I had placed next to me, against a stool. So, he arrested the picture of Jesus and threw him in the back of a squad car.

In the city of Rockford pro-lifers have witnessed and reported a homeless man who was hit by a clinic worker's speeding car, cars that have swerved to try and hit us (on one occasion we had over 20 witnesses), a van with darkened windows entering the clinic property with no license plates driven by a man in his 20's taking a very young teenage girl in the clinic, signs in the Northern Illinois Woman's Center window's attached to a hand gun sign threatening the life of a woman, signs in the Northern Illinois Woman's Center windows reveling peoples medical history to the public, loud amplified music and a P.A. system being used by the clinic violating city ordinance, pro-lifers cars vandalized - and to our knowledge not a thing has been done to stop any of this.

Yet, when the abortion facility security officer complains about a simple devotional picture of Jesus Christ, the Rockford police spring into immediate action. When I was being assaulted by an abortion supporter and the 911 operator was listening to the assault it took the officer 20 minutes to arrive. When one of our numbers was being verbally assaulted in a vicious racial tirade and spit upon a 911 call was placed. It took over an hour for the police to arrive. When the abortion clinic complains about a picture of Jesus... a supervisor arrives in a matter of minutes.

All of the violations, threats, vandalism, intimidation, and attacks of the abortion facility in the past few years and we are not aware of one time the abortion facility has been held accountable. But in Rockford a simple picture of Jesus gets arrested and thrown in the back of a squad car.

Here are some quotes from other participants who witnessed the event:

"It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. 2000 years ago Jesus was arrested for defending truth and life. In Rockford they arrest a picture of Jesus because it symbolizes truth and life. It's interesting that the picture of Jesus giving a double fisted "f..... you" sign is still proudly displayed in the clinic window."

"We have gone from the blasphemous to the ridiculous. It seems the only signs and pictures protected by free speech are the ones mocking God."

"After all the hate filled signs and displays of this abortion mill the only response of the city of Rockford is to confiscate a beautiful picture of Jesus from a Christian at prayer on a public sidewalk."

"No wonder 50,000 babies have been killed in Rockford when we have a killing center that openly attacks God and then all we see in response is a picture of Jesus placed in the back of a squad car."

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