Chilling Decision- District Court Judge Sides with Abortionist George Tiller to Silence Christians

Chilling Decision- District Court Judge Sides with
Abortionist George Tiller to Silence Christians

“All during the trial the prosecutor kept reminding the jury: ‘this is a simple case of trespass, it has nothing to do with abortion.' That was not the case when it came to the sentence. At that point, it was all about abortion. This judgment is outrageous. Bruce has been coming to Tiller's each Tuesday since 1993. Please pray that the Christians of Wichita would rise up.” –Donna Lippoldt

There aren't too many places in the heartland of America where a pastor, an assistant pastor, a church elder and active churchgoers can be condemned for saving an innocent child's life- unless of course, the group is tried in a “court of justice” and the child happens to be in utero.

On Friday, in a great miscarriage of justice, four of the five Christians who rescued a baby from abortion in June were sentenced to six months jail time or twenty-four months of reporting probation with an order to stay one hundred yards away from the abortion clinic for the duration of the two years! They were also ordered to cover the court costs plus a one hundred dollar fine.

The final defendant was represented by pro-life attorney Rick Macias and will be sentenced at a later date. The judgment will likely be the same. Trespassing is a misdemeanor offense. The seven other Christians who did not choose to appeal their conviction were fined one hundred dollars plus court costs, a sentence fitting a misdemeanor charge.

On Wednesday Pastor Mark Holick, Bruce Garren, William McGinnis, Shawn Mumy and Assistant Pastor Kevin Stanfield were found guilty of misdemeanor trespassing charges. Their convictions, and the six month prison sentence handed down by the judge, bring new meaning to the celebrated statue “Justice is Blind” displayed at so many of our courthouses.

One disgruntled female juror actually sat through much of the trial with her eyes closed, indicative of her heart. Even though the city's own witness, the police officer in charge during the defendants' arrests, admitted on the stand during cross examination, “Abortion is murder” the six member jury still found for a guilty verdict. Blinded by the god of this world to the reality of abortion and the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the jury was like, as one witness reported, “rock.” Even during the “defense of motive” which allowed for a meager articulation of their motives- rescue viable unborn children from untimely death at the hands of an abortionist- there was “no emotion on their faces ever.” The Bible warns that in the last days people will be “without natural affection.” This was proved true during the trial; there was no discernable empathy for unborn children or for those who managed, by God's grace, to rescue one precious child from death.

On September 13, the five men, along with seven other Christians who chose not to appeal, were found guilty of trespassing by Judge Lindspaun in the Wichita Municipal Court. The “Wichita Five” appealed their convictions to the Sedgwick County District Court. The trial began Monday June 13, and continued through Wednesday when the men heard the verdict.

Praying saints attended each day's proceedings and a city wide intercessors group lifted the men up repeatedly before the Father. Throughout the trial the men gave wonderful testimony of their faith. The Lordship of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and Scripture was quoted. Shawn was described as “having the anointing on him” by one Christian who attended the trial. When he spoke on one particular occasion, the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt so powerfully that the city prosecutor, Sharon Dickgrafe, and the district judge, Judge David Kennedy, were uncharacteristically silent, allowing Shawn to make his inspired remarks uninterrupted and without objection.

Bill's opening remarks set the tone for the defense. He argued, "Because something is law doesn't mean it is right … We need to ask [ourselves] are we morally obligated to follow unjust laws?"

The event in question was video taped and submitted into evidence. The jury and judge observed the peaceful, non-violent intervention of the Christians. They also witnessed the physical violence perpetrated by one of George Tiller's security guards when he roughly threw a woman backwards onto the cement as she gently counseled a woman about abortion. The tape also showed how he waved a gun in the faces of the two pastors and threatened to shoot them as they offered to adopt anyone's unborn child or to pay for all the expenses associated with a delivery. The violence by Tiller's employees was demonstrative of the activity taking place inside of his Women's Health Care Services. As seen on the tape, the rescuers were peaceful and prayerful in the face of aggression.

The necessity defense was excluded by the court which meant that no specific testimony of what abortion is or does was allowed in the trial. This crippled the defense. The two post-aborted women from George Tiller's clinic were unable to give testimony. As one woman began to share, she was immediately objected to by the prosecutor- irrelevant testimony- and the objection was sustained by the judge. The men were left with only a very general explanation of their motive – that of being against abortion. Despite this, God allowed for some truths to penetrate the dark corridors of man's “justice.” The jury did hear the truth of abortion spoken over the prosecutor's adamant objections. More importantly, they heard the name of the Savior over and over again. The same juror who kept her eyes closed would repeatedly hang her head in apparent disgust each time a defendant would speak His glorious name.

Pastor Mark gave the first of the closing statements. During his statement he made the case for acquittal using graphic truths, “An incinerator is no place for a baby,” “We are not a people who commit crimes against humanity,” and “The only trespassing that has occurred is the trespassing of the abortionist's knife upon the body of the child.” He also reminded the jury of the timeless principles contained within the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – principles that guarantee a right to life. Bruce, a respected pro-life educator who teaches from “Making Abortion Unthinkable” at local churches, used many of the same apologetics in his closing statement. When it was Shawn's time to speak he approached the podium and then remained purposefully silent, not addressing the jury until one full awkward minute had passed. He said he hoped the uncomfortable silence would provoke people to deal with the uncomfortable issue of abortion. When Kevin took the stand credibility of his Christian walk was exemplified as he shared his burden for young men and women in crises that he worked with for ten years. His job during those ten years was based on biblical principles as he equipped them with life skills. All of these men rightly represented the Lord.

Evidently the sight of Christians living out their faith and not just speaking of it was so unsettling to the judiciary, officials felt it prudent to employ extra security measures should the praying Christians seek to disrupt the proceedings as the verdict was read. Their concern was great enough that police officers were commissioned to watch over the trial while the verdict was handed down – one at each of the two doors and two in the back of the courtroom. There were two more stationed just outside the courtroom.

Christians in Sedgwick County District Court were confronted with a jury of apathetic peers and a judge with an agenda – what U.S. Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Congressman, and Harvard professor Joseph Story described as someone “ready to yield themselves to the passions, and politics, and prejudices of the day.” God forgive us. Regardless of the outcome, we know God's sovereign hands are on the affairs of men and “blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake” for they shall inherit the kingdom.

“The truth is, that, even with the most secure tenure of office, during good behavior, the danger is not, that the judges will be too firm in resisting public opinion, and in defense of private rights or public liberties; but, that they will be ready to yield themselves to the passions, and politics, and prejudices of the day."

– U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story

By Donna Lippoldt and Kendra Wilcox