Operation Rescue (formerly Operation Rescue West or California Operation Rescue), the operating name of Youth Ministries Inc., is an anti-abortion organization in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The organization originated in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and is now based in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. Operation Rescue West was founded by Operation Rescue's tactical director, Jeff White, as a branch of

Randall Terry Randall Allen Terry (born 1959) is an American activist and political candidate. Terry founded the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue, which he later abandoned. Beginning in 1987, the group became particularly prominent for blockading t ...

's original Operation Rescue organization. Under White, Operation Rescue West maintained its focus on abortion. White aborted leadership in 1999 following an $880,000 judgment against Operation Rescue for harassment and intimidation of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

staff and its leadership to Troy Newman. In 2002, Newman moved the headquarters to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, to focus its efforts on late-term abortion provider

George Tiller George Richard Tiller (August 8, 1941 – May 31, 2009) was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He gained national attention as the medical director of Women's Health Care Services, which was one of only three abortion clinics nationwide ...

, who was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

in 2009. Their headquarters is located in a former abortion clinic which closed due to harassment by Operation Rescue and was purchased by Newman through a front group.

Activities

After the

Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE or the Access Act, Pub. L. No. 103-259, 108 Stat. 694) (May 26, 1994, ) is a United States law that was signed by President Bill Clinton in May 1994, which prohibits the following three things ...

was signed into law in May 1994 by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

, Operation Rescue West implemented new tactics that did not involve arrest. Operation Rescue operates a fleet of what it refers to as "Truth Trucks", large panel vehicles that bear images of aborted fetuses. These "Truth Trucks" travel around the nation showing what Operation Rescue describes as "grisly truth about abortion." The organization offers a $25,000 reward for reports of criminal activity at abortion clinics which leads to a criminal conviction of what it describes as "abortionists". The first award was given in 2011 to a former employee at an abortion clinic.

Malachi Award

The Malachi Award is an annual award given for service to the

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

movement. It is named after a fetus discovered outside an abortion clinic in Texas. The name means "my messenger" and was given to the fetus by the executive secretary of New York Lambs of Christ.

Lawsuit over use of name

Randall Terry filed a lawsuit against Troy Newman in 2008, alleging misuse of the name "Operation Rescue." Former Rescue leaders, including Keith Tucci (director), Patrick Mahoney (media director), Jeff White (tactical director) have signed a statement in support of Newman. "We now feel compelled to speak up because Randall's actions are hurting the work of Troy Newman and Operation Rescue in their efforts to see George Tiller end his barbaric abortion practices in Wichita, Kansas. Additionally, we can no longer remain silent while Mr. Terry continues to fleece unsuspecting pro-life people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for his personal and selfish gain." In 2006 after an investigation by the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

into the nonprofit for electioneering in 2004, Operation Rescue West's

tax exemption Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

status was revoked. The group reopened under the name Operation Rescue.

George Tiller

Efforts against Tiller

Operation Rescue has publicized a number of allegedly "botched" abortions at Tiller's Women's Health Care Services, including the death of Christin A. Gilbert following a

third-trimester abortion Late termination of pregnancy, also referred to as late-term abortion, describes the termination of pregnancy by induced abortion during a late stage of gestation. In this context, ''late'' is not precisely defined, and different medical publicati ...

. Operation Rescue staff have also investigated and made allegations regarding other facilities around the country. Dr. Tiller was cleared of any charges of medical neglect in the death of Christin Gilbert. In September 2006, Newman and "personhood"

activist Keith Mason showed up at an open-air gubernatorial debate dressed as cockroaches, protesting alleged unsanitary conditions at Tiller's clinic. Democratic State Rep. Vaughn Flora (Topeka) recognized Newman, tore his mask off, and was arrested for

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

. Flora was fined $100 in return for a nolo plea. Newman later launched a $75,000 lawsuit against Flora which was dismissed. As of September 8, 2006, Youth Ministries Inc. (the incorporated name for Operation Rescue) had its

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

status revoked by the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

, following charges of improper use of contributions, and illegal endorsements of political candidates. Operation Rescue also worked to mobilize support in the

Kansas State Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators ...

to order the newly elected

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, Democrat Paul Morrison, to reinstate misdemeanor charges that were dismissed on jurisdictional grounds against Dr. Tiller. The group planned a rally in front of the offices of ADA Nora Foulston, to present evidence of

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

against Tiller.

Response to Tiller's murder

On May 31, 2009, Tiller was assassinated in his church.

Scott Roeder On May 31, 2009, George Tiller, a physician from Wichita, Kansas, who was nationally known for being one of the few doctors in the United States to perform late terminations of pregnancy (also known as "late-term abortions"), was murdered by Sc ...

of Merriam, KS was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting. Operation Rescue denounced Tiller's murder in numerous statements, describing it as "cowardly" and "antithetical to what we believe". The group also said that Roeder had "never been a member, contributor, or volunteer with Operation Rescue." Roeder responded to Newman's disavowal by declaring, "Well, my gosh. I've got probably a thousand dollars worth of receipts, at least, from the money I've donated to him." The phone number for Operation Rescue's senior policy advisor, Cheryl Sullenger, was found on the dashboard of Scott Roeder's car. At first Sullenger, who was convicted for conspiring to blow up a California abortion clinic in 1988, denied any contact with him, saying that her phone number is freely available online. Then, she revised her statements, indicating that she informed

of where Dr Tiller would be at specific times:

"He would call and say, 'When does court start? When's the next hearing?'" Sullenger said. "I was polite enough to give him the information. I had no reason not to. Who knew? Who knew, you know what I mean?"

Women's Healthcare services was closed following his death. There were multiple efforts by a variety of physicians, activists, and organizations to open or reopen an abortion providing facility in Wichita. Trust Women Foundation reopened in the same facility in April 2013.

References

Other sources

*''Operation Rescue: A Challenge to the Nation's Conscience'' by Philip F. Lawler (1992) *''Live From the Gates of Hell: An Insider's Look at the Antiabortion Underground'' by Jerry Reiter (2000) *"METRO DATELINES; Anti-Abortion Group Will Close Its Offices", The New York Times, December 17, 1990 *New York Times September 15, 2006 "Anti-Abortion Group Loses Tax Exemption" by Stephanie Strom *Jim Risen & Judy L. Thomas, ''Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War'' (1998) 2001
Clinics Prepare for Operation Rescue 1993

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.operationrescue.org Assassination of George Tiller American Christian political organizations Organizations based in Wichita, Kansas Anti-abortion organizations in the United States