Early Tuesday morning, as cold and hail sucker punched Humboldt, Eureka City Councilman Lance Madsen sat alone in a camping chair on the sidewalk, hunkered down under an umbrella with plastic covering his legs, attempting not to freeze. He is one of those who have pledged to be a peaceful, sign-wielding presence on the side of the road leading to Six Rivers Planned Parenthood as part of the national, evangelical 40 Days For Life campaign.
Today is day seven.
“Do I look warm?” Madsen said with a chuckle as tiny circles of frozen weather tumbled off his umbrella. To his left sat a sandwich board with his group’s slogan: “PRAY TO END ABORTION.”
“It’s not meant to intimidate anybody,” Madsen said of the vigil. “It’s just prayer.”
The numbers haven’t been particularly intimidating. The Journal visited the site of the vigil twice last week, finding three people both times. A kickoff event held on the evening of Feb. 12 drew about 20 people. While some of the movement’s locations are holding 24/7 vigils, the Eureka version is committed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m — supporters sign up for one hour shifts. At times, a video camera sitting on a tripod aimed at the street leading to the clinic was visible, but protesters we talked to said it had not been turned on and that it was simply a deterrent for any trouble. (I did not see the camera running.)
Six Rivers Planned Parenthood has responded. The same day the vigil began officially, Feb. 13, it sent out messages to supporters via email, social media and its website announcing the “Pledge-A-Picketer” campaign to raise funds and awareness. As of today, SRPP reported that it had raised $4,907.
If either cause seems worthy to you, feel free click these:
40 Days for Life:
National website
Local Facebook page
This article appears in By the Breach.
Some of those folks in those pictures should be praying for their own daughter’s choices.
not others.
Do you really need a video camera to pray?
Looks like intimidation and harassment to me. For those denying there have been no cameras, just take a look at the photo above. Gotcha!
Keep your prayers to yourself and leave decisions about women and their bodies to the only people who should be involved- women and their doctors.
Life is a precious thing that should always be respected born or unborn. Unless it is some of those Muslim camel jockeys or illegal taco benders! Shoot and bomb the shit out of them!
Life is a precious thing that should always be respected born or unborn. Unless it is some of those Muslim camel jockeys or illegal taco benders! Shoot and bomb the shit out of them!
God bless these brave souls who stand up for the un-born!
And now you know who NOT to vote for! What a creep Madsen is!
“It’s not meant to intimidate anybody,” Madsen said of the vigil. “It’s just prayer.”
Then why don’t they pray in private?
“It’s not meant to intimidate anybody,” Madsen said of the vigil. “It’s just prayer.”
Then why don’t they pray in private?
If they really want to do something to reduce abortions they should be praying for increased funding for birth control services and sex education.
Hope he does a better job at this than any others he has held over the years.
Leave people alone! I don’t like abortion but, then, I am a guy, so cannot understand the FULL impact – only my personal spirtuality on the subject.
Time to end ALL of these nin-com-poop agendas and get to work on REAL issues like CRIMES, JOBS, and a civil culture.
Leave others alone!
Mr. Madsen is a very nice man and has just as much right to be there as anyone. I have driven by several times and it is all very peaceful and respectful (from what I have seen). They aren’t even near SRPP. What are they so upset about.
It’s not just between the woman and her doctor, there is a third person trusting that she/he will be allowed to live out her/his life to be happy and free in America, that is the little one in the womb. The one who at the instant of conception has all the DNA to define every single thing about her/him, down to the number of hairs on her/his head. When Human life is not supported from the instant of it’s existence in the womb, then come more crimes against humanity, in a great variety, and in a greater number. These other crimes against humanity have escalated since the legalization of abortion in the USA. There are many other issues that need addressing, yes, but this one needs addressing too and it is perhaps the most important for it is truly a matter of life or death.
As of 2/21, SRPP has raised $8,354. Thanks so much to the 40 Days for Life crew for helping raise this money in support of women’s reproductive health!
I like this story as finally there is some truth. No, camera and no intimidation. Praying in public or at home in a closet.. I don’t see much difference. Praying and God hears. Thanks to all the brave souls who stand up for what they believe. BTW we do pray for our daughters.. Stop being angry and use that energy and do something for the betterment of our community…
Maybe Lance could pray that he and his oh-so-religious council will make sure everyone in Eureka gets healthcare, and that poor people,young and old are not harassed, beaten, jailed or killed by their policies and police. Madsen could pray that he and his oh-so-religious council can have the strength and the courage to make sure none of their constituents live in poverty, that women are not raped on the streets of Eureka after being pushed, by the police, into unsafe places or work. Apparently Madsen and the other oh-so-religious Eureka government don’t care whether people are killed after they are born; in fact, not even one prayer has been said by them for Martin Cotton, Michael Graves, Gary Roach, Wanda Kibby- some of the people who were murdered by Eureka’s police and anti-life attitudes.
And Humboldt Sheriff Chaplain, Andy Broese Van Groenou, seen in the photo “praying for life”, spends his time loving Glock handguns, remaining cohort with people who disregard life and kill (on the streets and in the jail), and RUNNING THE SHERIFF’S EXPLORER PROGRAM, an abomination training for youth locally to either become militarized (and become a soldier) or turn into a prison guard in an institution of torture, Pelican Bay. Is there cognitive dissonance, Andy? Years of daily death-dealing “work” with youth (training them to kill, quickly or slowly) and standing outside clinics for the ultimate purpose of stopping abortion patients from entering? WTF?
Bless my soul! Verbena has finally said some things with which I can agree!
I wish some of these protesters who seem to have so much time on their hands used their time more wisely by volunteering at cps shelters. Then they could see how many abused and neglected children are in this county. There are a lot of people on our streets who were clearly not ready to be parents, and maybe after learning some of the horror stories of what happens to some of these kids, they may feel a little different about what they are trying to stop. I’d rather there be a terminated pregnancy then another tortured child.