Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org
AURORA, Ill., Sept. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- The City of Aurora has hired an attorney and is defending against a Federal lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood to force the opening of their 22,000 square foot abortion mill. Meanwhile, pro-lifers won the right in Federal Court to protest around the abortion building in a march that drew over 800 on Saturday.
Planned Parenthood obtained permits to build what would be the largest abortion clinic in the country by lying about the true name and nature of their business on city applications.
Operation Rescue joined with the Pro-life Action League and other groups in calling for the city to refuse issuance of a permanent occupancy permit to Planned Parenthood since the building was permitted only because of false information supplied by the abortion giant.
They city has attempted to delay issuing the permanent occupancy permit and postpone the scheduled September 18 opening, but Planned Parenthood is attempting to use the courts to force the city to allow them to open on time. Representatives of Planned Parenthood told reporters that they already have a number of appointments scheduled for opening day, including abortions.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday, September 17.
Saturday, over 800 protesters marched around the Planned Parenthood building, which adjoins a residential neighborhood, and prayed for the clinic to remain closed. A Federal Court judge allowed the group to march through the neighborhood once, instead of the seven times that it had requested for its planned "Jericho March," meant to reference a Biblical event where the Israelites marched around the walled city of Jericho seven times, after which the walls fell down and God's people were miraculously granted victory.
Eric Scheidler of the Pro-life Action League has scheduled a Men's Vigil from Midnight to 8 AM Tuesday, followed by a protest from 8-10 AM, which will include a number of members of the clergy.
"We hope to be celebrating with Eric and the others who have worked so hard to protect women and their babies from exploitation and death at the hands of deceptive Planned Parenthood abortionists," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "But if this abortion mill is allowed to open, Planned Parenthood is sadly mistaken if it thinks we are going to let it go at that. They have only seen the beginning of our opposition to their dishonest child-killing business."
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
