Pro-life activists converge on area

 Pro-life activists converge on area

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10018273&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6

JIM KINNEY , The Saratogian

08/16/2003

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The Rev. Philip "Flip" Benham plans to take his pro-life message to Saratoga Race Course and other popular sites around the city as pro-lifers gather for a series of protests and revival camp meetings.

The message will include posters with graphic photos of aborted fetuses next to photos of infants, Benham said.

"So that the racetrack crowd can't run from it," Benham said. "So that you can't just have bread and circuses and ignore the babies being killed right down the street."

The event, called "Oh Saratoga," is organized by Father Francis McCloskey of Columbia County. The group has rented the Pine Grove Christian Camp, which is owned by the Free Methodist Church, on Pine Road and Route 29.

Saratoga Springs Police Chief Edward Moore said he's prepared for the event and that this pro-life group has a history of getting arrested.

It's a history Benham seems to revel in.

"Walking too slowly on a sidewalk, disorderly conduct, noise violations, pretty much anything to get me off the street," he said. "I used to get arrested before I came to the cross."

The group is expected to gather starting at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The event ends Thursday morning with an event at Saratoga National Historical Park.

Oh Saratoga plans to demonstrate at an abortion provider from 8 to 10 each morning. Monday, they'll be at Saratoga Hospital on Church Street, Tuesday at Planned Parenthood on Union Street in Schenectady and Wednesday at Planned Parenthood on Glen Street in Glens Falls.

Linda Scharf, a spokeswoman for Mohawk-Hudson Planned Parenthood, said she expects police to keep order. She said federal and state laws allow groups to protest, but federal and state law also bar protesters from blocking access to clinics.

She said abortions are performed at the Glens Falls and Schenectady Planned Parenthood offices. The Saratoga Springs office is right across from Saratoga Hospital.

"I can't discuss police planning," said Capt. Joe Bethel of the Glens Falls Police.

The Glens Falls police know how to handle acrimonious picket lines, Bethel said. There were big strikes at the Finch, Pruyn and Co. paper mill in 1996 and 2001.

After brunch from 10:30 to 11:30 Sunday, Benham said pro-lifers will fan out around Saratoga Springs, including the racetrack.

John Tierney, head of security for the New York Racing Association, said this week that he was aware of Oh Saratoga's plans. He was meeting with NYRA lawyers trying to determine if the group will even be allowed on the grounds.

The Downtown Business Association included a mention of Oh Saratoga in its most recent newsletter as a warning to its members, vice president Dawn Oesch said.

Oesch, owner of Candy-Gram on Washington Street, said they have a right to speak their mind, but she fears it will hurt business.

"That might not be the best issue to be discussing," she said. "People are just trying to have fun."

Planned Parenthood is hosting a fund-raiser at Saratoga Race Course Wednesday, complete with a race named in honor of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger.

©The Saratogian 2003