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SOUTHFIELD — On Thursday, March 30, six members of the Red Rose Rescue, a coalition of pro-life people, were sentenced for misdemeanor charges, including trespassing, resisting/obstructing a police officer and disorderly conduct, following an incident at Northland Family Planning Center’s Southfield location.
The group entered the clinic on April 23, 2022, handing out literature on alternatives to abortion, and they reportedly refused to leave when they were asked to.
The group reportedly went “limp” when police tried to take them off the property, and they had to be wheeled off in wheelchairs.
The six were found guilty before 46th District Court Judge Cynthia Arvant in February. Defense Attorney Robert Muise of the American Freedom Law Center filed a motion requesting “defense of others” in their case, as he believed the six to be acting out of defense for the unborn.
However, the motion was denied due to technicalities and differing beliefs surrounding whether a fetus is considered a person.
Muise filed an additional motion after the convictions that stated that on March 12, the defendants’ counsel learned that the security company that was there that day was not licensed to operate as a security company.
“Contrary to the Prosecutor’s representation, Strategic was not in fact licensed to operate as a security company on April 23, 2022. Strategic is currently the Respondent in a Formal Complaint brought by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau because Strategic was not licensed to operate as a security guard agency for Northland Family Planning Clinic during the time frame at issue in this case.”
In other words, Muise was requesting that the court grant this motion ordering a new trial and verdict of acquittal of the charges of trespassing and resisting/obstructing a police officer for all defendants or at a minimum stating that the court should direct a verdict of acquittal of these charges for three of the defendants who never entered the facility.
However, Arvant said that if the jury had been given this information, it would not have deterred their final decision, and thus, the six would still be found guilty.
Four of the six people involved in the incident received jail time for various charges of trespassing, obstructing/resisting a police officer and disorderly conduct, including Father Christopher Moscinski, who has been charged for similar incidents across the country. They were all given between 45 and 90 days in jail.
Muise said he stands in solidarity with the six, likening their mission to that of the Hungarian Freedom Fighters and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who stood their ground and broke the law in the name of their beliefs.
“These are faithful people, and they were standing up for justice. They were punished by our manmade courts, but as they know, the final arbiter is our Creator. You have to follow what your conscience tells you.”
According to the organization, Red Rose Rescue aims to “peacefully talk to women scheduled for abortion, with the goal of persuading them to choose life.”
The other two defendants were also convicted of trespassing, resisting/obstructing and disorderly conduct. However, they both elected to do probation time of 18 months and 12 months, respectively. Under their probation, they are prohibited from going within 500 feet of any clinic that offers abortion services and are not allowed to communicate with one another.
“We see no person as our enemy, even those who do not share our same position on life,” Will Goodman, a full-time activist and member of RRR, stated. “We’re seeking to bring order to a place of disorder with our non-violent, peaceful approach. We just want to cultivate conversations and offer the woman the gift of a rose.” Goodman explained that in addition to peaceful protest, RRR members are involved in many charitable acts such as caring for the disabled, fundraising for adoption and mothers struggling to pay rent and other living expenses, prisoner rights advocacy and giving aid to refugees. “We do all of this behind the scenes. It might not make our social media, but we are dedicated to helping the poor,” he said.
Northland Planning Center was started in 1976 by Renee Chelian, who, from her own traumatic experience, wanted to create a safe environment for women to go to receive abortions, according to the company’s website. Northland now has three campuses — Southfield, Sterling Heights and Westland — and performs abortions from 4 weeks up to 24 weeks. In response to the convictions, Chelian condemned the protesters.
“They’re not pro-life; they’re anti-abortion. And they don’t really care about kids once they’re here. So, I don’t respect them. I mean, there are certainly people who have anti-abortion views that I can respect for their view because they don’t try to trample on other people’s rights. These people have no respect at all for our patients, staff, physicians or safety.”
While Northland primarily conducts abortions, they also provide counseling, adoption resources and education to women who enter their clinics, the business states. Chelian’s daughter, Lara Chelian, founded the “Reclaim” project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “fuel individuals and communities to Reclaim their dignity around, confidence in, and support of abortion and reproductive rights.” Northland also partners with Choice Network Adoption Agency, a pro-choice agency.
“Our mission is to provide good abortion care for pregnant people seeking abortion care,” Chelian stated. “Our vision is to make the world a better place for people. And that is by taking good care of our patients. So, we don’t let them (protesters) deter us from action. Yeah, it’s a temporary aggravation. We deal with it. And then we get on with things. They’re not closing us down. They’ve been doing this for 40 years.”
For more information on Northland Family Planning Center, visit https://north landfamilyplanning.com, and for more information on the Red Rose Rescue, visit https://www.redroserescue.com.
