 February
1998 |
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February
1998 |
Show Truth gang pleads not guilty By Stan James
ST. THOMAS, Ont. -- Four
pro-life activists pleaded not guilty Jan.14 to "exhibiting a disgusting
object" during last summer's Show the Truth tour.
John Bulsza of London, Rosemary
Connell of Peterborough, Ann-Marie Tomlins of Barrie, and Bill Whatcott
of Toronto were charged with publicly exhibiting a disgusting object and
causing a public disturbance by displaying graphic photos of aborted children.
The four participated in
Show the Truth Tour that visited major cities from Windsor to Brantford,
including Sarnia, Chatham, London, St. Thomas, Stratford and Woodstock.
It was in St. Thomas, the
fifth city in the tour, where the charges were laid.
The presence of the four
pro-lifers was not met with favor by some local business persons, city
hall employees and the police. The tour participants displayed large images
of both healthy pre-born and full-term babies, and aborted babies at various
stages of development.
The four pro-lifers had their
signs confiscated and were jailed for approximately five hours as a result
of the incident.
The four accused pleaded
not guilty to the charges. During the first two days of the trial, the
prosecution's witnesses took the stand and were grilled by a defence team
led by Paul Vandervet of Brantford, Ont.
One of the key issues in
this case is freedom of speech and the right to inform and educate the
public about the issue of abortion.
Show the Truth participants,
and their U.S. counterparts the Missionaries to the Preborn, believe the
displays are necessary to overcome the media's efforts to ignore or suppress
the true, graphic nature of abortion.
A similar Show the Truth
tour, involving visits to Canadian and U.S. cities bordering the Great
Lakes, is scheduled for July 6-11, 1998.
The case continues April
1 - 3 in St. Thomas. At that time, the four defendants are expected to
be called to the witness stand.
Donations may be made to
their defence. Cheques may be made payable to the Legal Defence Fund (in
the memo portion of the cheques write "St. Thomas case"). Send to Campaign
Life Coalition, 53 Dundas St. East, Suite 305, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1C6.
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