|
|
|
"Children are a gift from God, a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward..." |
|
|
 Angela & Daniel holding 3 day old saved baby Gianna Zoe Michael |
 Daniel & Angela Michael outside Hope abortion mill |
|
Victory
in the streets of Granite City, Illinois June 1, 2006 Five years ago to the day of this settlement the taking of a child's life which resulted in a botched abortion the Hope Abortion Clinic began a campaign of intimidation and slander against Small Victories seeking to lay the blame on anyone but the abortion mill. This was a bitter-sweet settlement, but we felt it was time. A child was dead and a mother was wounded, which happens everyday across America. Five years of litigation and false accusations against us is over! This settlement agrees that we never attempted to pull bed sheets off a woman or other ridiculous charges. In summary the settlement reached agrees with our intentions to date since this was never about Jane Doe but rather exposing the risks of botched abortions, particularly at free-standing abortion mills. We are free to continue to expose the evils of abortion through the truth and the Gospel of Christ. We have seen several women laying on gurneys being rushed across the street to Gateway Regional Hospital suffering medical complications from botched abortions. Karen S. was admitted to another hospital in St. Louis because fetal body parts were left inside of her after an abortion at Hope Clinic. She was so full of infection she had to undergo a complete hysterectomy with several blood transfusions and she also suffered a uterine tear and is currently suing Hope Clinic for failing to inform of the risks and dangers of abortion and severe emotional distress. Wendy H. had her small bowel pulled through her uterus during an abortion at this clinic. Not only an emergency hysterectomy had to be performed to save her, but she has to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of her life. This is all on record. When you walk through those purple doors, you are literally taking your life in your hands. Bottom line: abortion is not safe. The motto of Hope Clinic is “Where there's choice, there's hope” But that is a lie. There is no hope in choosing to kill your innocent child. Hope that results in guilt, anguish, and hundreds of different manifestations is not real hope. There is no hope beyond those purple doors in Granite City . The only true hope is in Jesus Christ. Gentle Christian warriors were hit with yet another threat of an emergency court order last week trying to silence the messenger. Mark Levy who represents the Hope abortion Clinic in Granite City, Illinois filed for an emergency restraining order against the Michaels so they could no longer stand outside both of his law offices informing the public that he represents baby killers. We sent out a press release the night before and were prepared to represent ourselves in yet another attack of our First Amendment rights. The devil's tactics are “When you can't attack the message, you attack the messenger” by harassing, intimidating, lying and suing them right off the sidewalk but this small remnant didn't go away as this abortion clinic planned. They got even bolder. They kept showing up for the battle and even turning the tables on this Goliath in the baby killing industry. We sued them back and we didn't back down. We ran right into that uncircumcised Philistine just like little David did, 1 Samuel 17. The following morning we were notified that Mr. Tom Brejcha of the Thomas Moore Society, Pro-life Law Center was on his way down to southern Illinois to help us. We walked into the courtroom with our weapon underneath our arm: the Sword of the Spirit. The hearing was slated for 2:00 p.m. It was 2:20 and Mr. Levy had not yet arrived. The bailiff asked us if we were there for the court hearing and we replied, “Yes,” and he then placed a call to Mr. Levy and Mr. Levy said that he had forgotten about the hearing. I was drawn to read Psalm 60:11-12. Mr. Brejcha appeared and began working on our case. After some heated discussion in the judge's chamber that day between Mr. Levy and Mr. Brejcha we were to reconvene the following week. It was Memorial Day weekend. Mr. Brejcha worked tirelessly and returned this past week and filed a brilliant brief for the Michaels. Reporters were waiting when we arrived Wednesday afternoon. Both lawyers went into the judge's chambers and began arguments. Mr. Levy had mentioned to Mr. Brejcha that he was going after Daniel's inheritance. We surmised this would be our first male heir to the throne or our firstborn of the eleven sired… They also let Mr. Brejcha know that Mr. Levy and the Hope Clinic fear the Small Victories weekly radio program in St. Louis which airs live in the St. Louis/Illinois area and streams worldwide over the Internet. Both lawyers came back out into the hall. Mr. Brejcha conferred with Daniel and Angela and let them know that Mr. Levy dropped his motion for the Temporary Restraining Order as it would be a blatant violation of our First Amendment rights. Both parties were preparing to leave the courthouse and reset a court date in two weeks to work on a possible settlement in the Jane Doe litigation. Angela turned to reporters and lawyers and said, “Let's do it now. It's the 5-year anniversary of what started this litigation, it's time.” Both parties and Judge Don Weber worked on the wording and the agreement and the clerk typed and made copies of the final order to be signed and submitted to court records. “King Jesus is still on the throne,” Angela mentioned as she and Daniel signed their names to the settlement. Outside reporters asked, “Are you guys giving up? Will you protest anymore?” We answered, “Absolutely we will continue! Wherever there is evil and injustice we will go to the public square and cry out.” Daniel interjected by letting them know, “As long as Mr. Levy represents an abortionist who kills children and hurts women we'll be out there.” Mothers that have taken the life of their child through abortion can never erase that day from their memories. There is a tearing of a bond between a mother and her child. That is why we plead with women not to go in the abortion clinic and take their child's life and why we try and follow up on women that do go ahead and kill their child so we can reach out to women so they can at least receive forgiveness and healing through Christ and not suffer in silence and anonymity, in order to break the cycle of violence and stop the war in the womb. Women go into the abortion clinic to get fixed but they come out broken. We are committed to helping women, just like Jesus. Many of the women He met were in unhealthy relationships or hurting. Many needing comfort or looking for love and throughout the Bible each woman found forgiveness and real hope only through Jesus Christ. Women need love, not abortion. Psalm 130:7 “…put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love, and with Him is full redemption.” Special thanks to attorneys Rick Nelson of the American Liberties Institute, Tom Brejcha of the Thomas Moore Society, Pro-life Law Center, and Jason Craddock for all of their hard work and prayers! Below is a news article on the settlement from the Belleville News-Democrat. http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/14713725.htm Pro-life activists settle suit over Internet post BY BRIAN BRUEGGEMANN News-Democrat EDWARDSVILLE - Abortion protesters Daniel and Angela Michael of Highland reached a settlement Wednesday with a woman who sued them for taking a picture of her and putting it on the Internet after the woman suffered a botched abortion. Under the settlement, the Michaels do not have to pay the woman any money, but are prohibited from talking about her or her medical records. She is referred to in the lawsuit as Jane Doe. The case made international headlines when it was filed nearly five years ago. The Michaels' picture of the woman, which the lawsuit alleged showed her bleeding in a wheelchair, were put on an anti-abortion Web site. Doe's attorney, Mark Levy, has said that although the woman's face was not recognizable in the picture and she was not mentioned by name on the Web site, the Web site also contained information from the woman's medical records, making it possible to determine her identity. Angela Michael said Wednesday her goal was to inform the public about the risks of abortion, not to hurt Doe. "This isn't about Jane Doe. It never was," she said. "That was the whole thing behind this, to show how unsafe abortion is." Said Levy: "We've got an agreement for the entry of a permanent injunction, and it was in the best interest of my client.... She just wanted to be left alone." The settlement states the Michaels are "permanently enjoined from obtaining, distributing or publishing specifically the name, medical records, medical data and/or photograph of the plaintiff, Jane Doe." Angela Michael is the host of a radio show. Doe was undergoing an abortion June 1, 2001, at Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City when she suffered a uterus tear. She was taken to a neighboring hospital, which at the time was St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. Doe claimed in her lawsuit that the protesters grabbed at her sheets to uncover her bleeding. The settlement states the Michaels did not attempt to grab or remove the sheets. The settlement also states the Michaels obtained Doe's medical records from an unknown person. Levy, the Michaels and their attorney, Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society Pro-Life Law Center in Chicago, were in and out of Madison County Circuit Judge Don Weber's chambers for nearly two and a half hours Wednesday during negotiations. Weber, who approved the settlement, told the parties in court that both sides deserve credit for resolving the issue. "I'm happy to be part of ending these five years of litigation," the judge said. "I think it was a good agreement, a fair agreement, and I'm happy to sign it." Contact reporter Brian Brueggemann at bbrueggemann@bnd.com or 692-9481.
|
|
To support and encourage Daniel and Angela please contact them - |
|