In recent years, pro-life Americans have worked to pass laws that make it a crime not to provide medical assistance to an unborn baby born alive after an attempted abortion and to restrict efforts to increase the availability of getting abortion pills without seeing a doctor.

Abortion advocates have fought these two reasonable efforts tooth-and-nail calling them unnecessary, but a tragedy in Licking County, Ohio shows not only how necessary they are but also why these reasonable protections are opposed only by the most radical in the pro-choice community.

Beneath all of the social and political rhetoric, we mourn the loss of Cayden Gillum, a baby born alive after an attempted third-trimester abortion, allowed to die, and then discarded in the trash. There will be no justice for the child at the true center of this tragedy because of a recent decision by a judge.

Kalina Gillum and her then-boyfriend, Braden Mull, tried in 2019 to terminate her pregnancy in the third trimester with abortion pills that they illegally ordered off of the internet.. Abortion pills can be taken until the 10th week of pregnancy. Kalina was 28 or 29 weeks along. The pills didn’t work as she intended; her son was born alive on a bathroom floor. Instead of rushing to seek medical care, she and Mull decided to allow the child to die.

According to prosecutors, Gillum sent a photo of the newly born child to Mull with text messages that stated “it’s out” and “it’s moving.”   In fact, court records show the two texted each other from when Mull left for work that morning through when the child was born.

It wasn’t until nine hours later that Gillum entered a hospital after losing a lot of blood and being unable to deliver the placenta. 

Firefighters reportedly later found the child’s body inside a shoebox placed in trash bag.

For those who don’t know how abortion pills work, RU-486, also called Mifeprex or mifepristone, is a drug that acts to end a baby's life in the early stages of pregnancy by blocking progesterone. Without progesterone, the unborn baby's life is no longer supported and he or she will die. Several days after taking the Mifepristone, a woman takes a prostaglandin called misoprostol, also known as Cytotec, to expel the now deceased unborn child. 
Charges were filed, but the most severe one (homicide) was thrown out by the judge. Mull pleaded guilty to one count of child endangering and abuse of a corpse and received a one-year sentence. But after a trial, Gillum received a legal slap on the wrist: probation. However, this was after a jury found her guilty of endangering a child, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

But that wasn’t enough for her to see the inside of a cell.

Licking County Common Pleas Court Judge David Branstool issued the probation sentence last month. His decision, he said, came from revelations Gillum had suffered horrific abuse at the hands of Mull – claims the jury did not hear.
Prosecutor Bill Hayes said justice means the defendant should be held accountable for their actions and a deterrent should be in place not to do the same thing again. He doesn’t feel that’s been the case. In fact, he worries it will go in the opposite direction of a deterrent.

“Our concern is those who would see this and take a like action if they attempted an abortion but had a live child,” Hayes told Greater Columbus Right to Life. “A person may feel they now won’t go to prison that abortion fails, and they make similar choices.”

Prosecutors didn’t try this as a “pro-life vs. pro-choice” case.

“We prosecuted this as a child-endangering case,” Hayes said. “She was a pregnant woman, but when that child was born she became a mother. She had a duty to take care of him and she didn’t. She put him in a bag in a box.”
Hayes worries about efforts by abortion advocates to broaden the mail order availability of abortion pills will result in more tragedies like this one.

“These pills weren’t supposed to be in the country,” he said of the Misoprostol Gillum took to begin the abortion. “Two orders were placed for the pills; one was stopped by customs and the other one got through.”

Beth Vanderkooi, executive director of Greater Columbus Right to Life agreed, “There is a national and local movement to increase the flow of the abortion pill into this country. Abortion industry advocates are calling for abortion to be available via the mail or telemedicine appointments.”

She said abortion advocates want to repeal laws that require the drugs to be dispensed in a particular way by medical professionals, and they want to eliminate laws the allow the drugs to be mailed into the country from questionable internet sources.

“They are also actively training the community on the theoretical availability of ‘self-managed medication abortions,’ which is basically a winking encouragement for more women to obtain abortion pills illegally and self-administer them at home. This is not only deadly for a baby; it is dangerous for women.”

Vanderkooi further added, “Abortion advocates have criticized pregnancy help centers locally by saying that urine pregnancy tests, ultra-sounds performed by nurses and reviewed by doctors, and referrals for ongoing obstetric care is not enough medical oversight to talk to women about options and help available should they continue their pregnancies. These are the same people who want women to be able to access powerful drugs that have resulted in injury and death without every seeing a single medical professional.”
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Vanderkooi added, “Once again, the politics and radical agenda of the abortion industry doesn’t care if women end up in the hospital hemorrhaging or if the abortion ‘fails’ because the pregnancy is ectopic rather than uterine.” She added that she and the pro-life people of central Ohio are thankful for prosecutors like Bill Hayes who acknowledge the recently born child as fully human, deserving of dignity and the protection of the law. 

​​Today, colleagues at Northeast Ohio Right to Life, Ohio Right to Life, and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society held a press conference after discarded fetal remains were found in the trash can outside of a Northeast Ohio abortion clinic. According to a report, the remains were recovered in a dumpster along with several other items. The unborn child was estimated to be at 17 weeks gestation. The bloody fetal remains, photos of which were shared by Denise Leopold of Northeast Ohio Right to Life, consisted of severed limbs, wrapped in a bloody blanket.


In addition to the fetal remains, the volunteer found bloody surgical instruments, urine cultures, and bloody sheets and drape. The items were disposed in violation of Ohio EPA’s hazardous and medical waste provisions which require human biological waste to be refrigerated or frozen, secured, and not able to spread infectious disease.  The trash also included protected medical information that could be used to identify patients.


The materials were gathered over the course of multiple days.


This is not the first shocking news to come out of the abortion clinic located in the same place. In 2013, the Ohio Department of Health shut down the facility for failing to meet sanitation standards and other basic health and safety standards. The business was also subjected to DEA and other enforcement activity for conditions that included improper storage of medicine and theft of patient blood. The clinic, at which Burkons worked, was shut down in 2013, but Burkons was able to re-open the facility and obtain a new surgical license.  Burkons is notorious among abortion providers and has been affiliated with numerous state abortion clinics, including now-closed Founder’s Women’s Health.


Beth Vanderkooi, executive director of Greater Columbus Right to Life, noted, “The callous disregard with which these clinics treat unborn children and their mothers is par for the course in the abortion industry; it is the reality that the industry and its apologists try to cover up by painting it in vibrant shades of pink and purple and calling it ‘feminism.’ Every day, courageous pro-life witnesses work to speak the truth to women and families considering abortion and reveal the truth of the abortion industry.”
Vanderkooi continued, “But today’s shocking revelations continue to reveal the truth: abortion is a violent, exploitative, and disgusting practice that trades in human despair and misery and profits from pain. We continue to pray for the day that the US Supreme Court recognizes that there is no right to intentionally destroy unborn children. Until then, this is the second incident in the past year that illustrates why the Legislature must revise abortion clinic licensing laws to eliminate a major loophole in Ohio that forces the director of the Ohio Department of Health to license any abortion clinic or other ambulatory surgical center that fills out the permit, pays a fee, and presents basic information such as an infection control plan. Ohio law does not offer any discretion to the Ohio Department of Health in granting these licenses. All a shoddy operator needs to do is change the name or file different paperwork. This happens again and again, as is illustrated here locally with Your Choice and its sister clinic Capital Care of Toledo. This is unacceptable. 
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​This story will be updated as more details emerge. 

While the official abortion figures for the State of Ohio compiled by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will not be available until the fall, information obtained by Greater Columbus Right to Life suggests that Ohio abortions increased by at least two percent in 2020 when compared to the 2019 Ohio Abortion Statistics report from ODH.

This conclusion was reached after reading a study [1] published in the May 2020 edition of Contraception looking at “barriers” to expansion of medication and telemedicine abortions in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia during the pandemic. The authors looked at related state and federal laws and policies (such as the FDA label that requires in-person dispensing of the abortion pill and the Ohio law that requires the label be followed), executive actions during the pandemic (such as Ohio’s order to postpone non-emergency medical procedures, including surgical abortions), and data voluntarily reported each month by 14 abortion clinics in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky between December of 2019 and December of 2020. The study authors note that data collection methodology was approved by both the OSU and Cincinnati University Institutional Review Boards. They also noted that 14 of the 16 clinics offering medication abortion were included in the study. Locations that did not supply data were not included, nor was facility-specific data supplied.
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We compared the 2020 monthly abortion figures provided in the article to abortion data published by ODH for 2019 and found that the total number of abortions in Ohio increased by at least 383 (1.9%) and the number of medication abortions in Ohio increased by at least 602 (7.7%) in 2020.  Notably, these conclusions are based on the belief that abortion providers correctly reported their figures to the researchers and come with the caveat that the study will most likely be lower than the official state figures published by ODH in the fall; they probably do not include every location that may be providing surgical or medical abortions in Ohio. 

The provided figures cannot tell us if the increase in abortions is directly attributable to COVID. From our Sidewalk Counseling program, we know that there can be fluctuations by months; some months are just busier than others. However, April and May of 2020 showed sharp increases in the numbers of total abortions when compared to other months: 1919 in April and 1826 in May compared to 1610 in February and 1677 in June. April particularly showed a steep increase in the percentage of abortions that were committed by medication: 72% compared to 34% in March and 39% in June. It is also notable that the only year-to-year monthly comparisons available were in December of 2019 (pre-pandemic) and December of 2020. There were 1457 abortions reported by surveyed clinics in December of 2019 and 1714 in 2020.  The study authors did conclude that the Executive Order banning elective medical procedures were most likely responsible for the sharp increase in medication abortions in April. A lawsuit filed against the state earlier this year pointed out that the state EO was enforced on abortion clinics, with ODH sending inspectors until stopped by litigation.

We do not usually know the reasons abortions increase, but we do know that helping women to find empowering and life-affirming resources, encouraging them to seek healing for a past abortion, and bringing the power of prayer to the sidewalk has demonstrably lowered the abortion rate here and across the country. Want to get involved? Consider joining our sidewalk prayer team. 


[1] K. Mello et al., Federal, state, and institutional barriers to the expansion of medication and telemedicine abortion services in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic, Contraception, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception. 2021.04.020

We very much appreciate the constant pro-life work of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. He is once again showing his support not only for the unborn but also the rule of law. After the Department of Health and Human Services announced an effort to provide abortion funding through Title X, AG Yost led a group of 20 other state Attorneys General to provide clear, thorough, and convincing comments against the proposed rule. The HHS should not be funding abortion in direct violation of Title X, and today AG Yost and 20 other state attorneys let the federal government know that they will not allow the federal government to illegally fund elective abortions without a legal fight.

You can read the press release on this story here. You can also read the letter to HHS Secretary Becerra here. 

On behalf of our membership and the State of Ohio - Thank you AG Yost for your continued personal and professional leadership to defend the youngest of Ohioans' right to life and to protect the rights of conscience of Ohio taxpayers!

We will be sending a Thank-you to AG Yost. If you would like to sign our thank you letter, sign up below by June 1. 

Today the United States Supreme Court agreed to take up Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case was filed against Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The case is being watched closely by both sides of the abortion debate because it is a case that directly challenges the precedents set by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which established a legal framework for a right to abortion before the point of viability. It is also one of the first major abortion cases the court will hear since it obtained a pro-life majority.

This case is of particular interest because it could be used to determine if any state law, such as Ohio’s Heartbeat law, permits a state to regulate or ban abortion before a baby can survive outside of the womb. At least twelve other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Tennessee) have passed restrictions and prohibitions on abortion before viability.  The Mississippi law was blocked from taking effect by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is among the most conservative-leaning courts in the nation, which held it would go against the current precedent. In 2016, the US Supreme Court let stand similar rulings on 12 week and 5 week abortion bans and also struck down a Texas law on health and safety regulations, arguing that they had the effect of limiting abortions. That the Court is taking up this case is significant. 

Since 2016, the makeup of the Court has dramatically changed, with what is perceived as a 6-3 split between more conservative and more liberal jurists. The case is not necessarily a “slam-dunk” though, as Chief Justice Roberts has surprised many with his decisions supporting precedent on abortion and other issues that generally are politically opposed by more conservative voices. Legal observers note that this is at least the second time in the past few weeks that the Supreme Court has indicated a willingness to take up a case that challenges precedent.

When speaking to the early leaders of the pro-life movement, you get the sense that most of them saw Roe as something that would be overturned in short order, either through the courts or through efforts to abolish abortion through efforts like the Human Life Amendment. At the same time, however, abortion advocates were pushing state-level ratification of the ERA, which many believe would enshrine abortion rights in the US Constitution.

When we talk about the Human Life Amendment (HLA), most people are familiar with the concept of an amendment to the US Constitution to protect Human Life, which was endorsed by the U.S. Catholic Bishops and others. Most do not realize that there were actually several versions of a HLA introduced. They include the Hogan, Whitehurst, and Burke Amendments of 1973, the Scott Amendment of 1975, the Paramount Amendment of 1979, the Hatch Amendment of 1981, and the Hatch-Eagleton Act of 1983. The provisions varied between returning abortion to a state-decision and declaring the personhood of the unborn child, and they had bipartisan sponsors and support over the years. The only version of the Human Life Amendment to reach a formal floor vote was the Hatch-Eagleton Amendment, which received 49 supporting votes in the Senate on June 28, 1983, falling 18 votes short of the 67 required for passage. Attempts to change the Constitution were not the only proposals that sought to end abortion-on-demand in the United States. This does not take into account the hundreds of provisions introduced in Congress or the States to overturn and restrict Roe.

In recent years, there has been a widespread effort to establish a legal and political strategy that would incrementally restrict abortion as part of a strategic effort to immediately reduce the number of babies who die each day by abortion while also laying the groundwork for Roe to be overturned and/or abortion to be abolished. For many of them, the Court’s announcement that it would accept the Mississippi case was a major step forward in that effort. It is an effort that has not been without vocal opposition, not only from the anticipated crowd of abortion supporters and advocates, but even from within pro-life circles. In recent years, there has been no small amount of internecine squabbles about strategy – both in timing (on bills such as the heartbeat bill) and on larger strategic issues (such as incrementalism vs outright bans).

Even with the presumed 6-3 majority, it is not going to be a slam-dunk of a court case. In a sense, we have very few clues about the willingness of the Court under its current makeup to take on a case with major precedent implications. This is not the time to celebrate. If anything, it is the time to work harder and pray harder. It is the time to be on the sidewalk – prayerfully and peacefully. It is also a time to continue reaching out to those who do not share our pro-life views and those who have different methods of proclaiming the Gospel of Life.

The U.S. is probably more divided than ever on the issue of abortion, and abortion advocates continue to be more and more radicalized. We need only to look at what happened in Columbus on January 22nd to see an example of this. Throughout the world, in the places where abortion is broadly legal, most countries limit abortion at 12 weeks. The United States is one of only seven countries where abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy (we are joined by China, North Korea, Vietnam, Canada, Singapore, and the Netherlands, and the latter two greatly restrict abortion to fetal and maternal health after 24 weeks).
The announcement that the Court would take up the case means that it most likely will hear oral arguments in the fall with decisions most likely to come out in the spring or early summer of  ’22.

Bonus: In another disappointing announcement from the White House, President Biden’s press secretary responded to the news that the Court would be considering the Mississippi case by reiterating President Biden’s commitment to codifying Roe v Wade as federal law.  The Biden Administration’s continued assault on the right to life comes even as there is discussion among Catholic Bishops as to how to handle communion for politicians who claim to be Catholic but advocate for expansions of abortion. The Pillar recently provided some analysis on this matter. 

      
It is midway through the 40 Days for Life Campaign, and Greater Columbus Right to Life has celebrated two moms who chose life after encountering a member of our team. In at least one of those instances, the Planned Parenthood was closed, and our regular Sidewalk team would not have been there were it not for the 40 Days Campaign. For that, and for every life choice, we give thanks to God.

We were not sure what this 40 Days for Life Campaign would look like. Many of our days are adopted by Churches, and continued reticence to gather due to the coronavirus has meant fewer opportunities to promote and sign up for church adopted days. More dramatically, however, is that we were concerned that the events that happened during local commemorations for Roe v Wade would have a chilling effect on the willingness of churches and individuals to come out to pray with us.
On January 22, 2021, a group of self-proclaimed “militant abortion extremists” stormed past a Columbus police officer and into St. Joseph Cathedral during the Respect Life Mass, which was being concelebrated by the Bishops of Columbus and Cleveland. The extremists ran up the aisles toward the altar, shouting blasphemies and curse words and damaging property. Bishop Brennan paused his homily while several men moved to protect the altar and the tabernacle. Many in attendance calmed their children and knelt to pray.

After a few moments, numerous Columbus Police officer responded to the scene, removing the extremists from the Mass, which eventually proceeded. Because the extremists were not arrested, at the conclusion of the Mass they followed attendees to the Ohio Statehouse and interrupted the Roe Remembrance, a private companion event held each year since 1974 by Greater Columbus Right to Life. Despite GCRTL holding permits granting us exclusive use of the space, neither Statehouse Officials nor the Ohio State Highway Patrol were willing to remove them or cite them for using their illegal sound systems. As a result, their offensive, vulgar, and obscene commentary was able to nearly drown out our program. Our coverage of the day’s events can be found here, and examples of what they were permitted to scream through our memorial event can be found here.
This kind of behavior was not an effort to convey a message or sway the public. It was intended to fuel their own social media and to frighten and intimidate churches, clergy, and individuals from joining programs like 40 Days for Life and our sidewalk ministry program.

This group and their tactics are familiar to Greater Columbus Right to Life.  We’ve endured this behavior for more than six years, and in recent years their behavior has escalated. For example, in the Fall 2019 campaign, GCRTL was joined by 40 Days for Life Chairman of the Board and legal counsel Matt Britton for our midway prayer event. A member of group came to the event, which was held on the public sidewalk. She played sexually explicit music and danced vulgarly in the direction of some students who had come to the event. The students reacted admirably, by holding tight to the large rosary worn by one of the Dominican Sisters and praying together. While this behavior is not a daily occurrence for us, it is episodic and obviously intended to stifle pro-life speech. Greater Columbus Right to Life and 40 Days for Life campaigns across the world are frequently targets of this kind of behavior for the simple reason that we are effective.  

While previous iterations of harassment have been limited to public areas, the extremists in January felt emboldened to enter into private property and private events. Yesterday, four members of the group were charged with counts including Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Trespass, and Criminal Trespass. You can read our statement on those charges here. If a group of self-identified “pro-life extremists” stormed inside of an abortion clinic, shouted vulgarities, threatening those inside, and disrupted procedures, there would be a universal repudiation of this kind of behavior by law enforcement, the media, and life-affirming organizations. Abortion advocacy groups, by contrast, have stood up to support both the individuals and the behavior exhibited at the Cathedral and the Statehouse. They are attempting to shift the blame to religious institutions and life-affirming organizations, effectively claiming that by opposing abortion and supporting programs like 40 Days for Life, Greater Columbus Right to Life at the Cathedral deserved what happened. The individuals responsible may call themselves “extremists” but they are employees of and volunteers with abortion providers and abortion advocacy groups that are household names and considered mainstream. After the first attack, the individuals responsible claimed that they will continue to target churches that oppose abortion and pro-life organizations to disrupt Mass.

This reflects the mindset and depravity of abortion advocacy groups, a fact that will be lost on many lukewarm abortion rights supporters because there has been no pushback to this narrative in the public sphere and almost no coverage in the secular media. The meager local coverage has stripped what happened at the Statehouse entirely out of the story and let stand the pro-abortion narrative that this was a “brief and non-violent interruption.”  

This is not the way to truth or true justice.

At Greater Columbus Right to Life, we advocate for the dignity of every human life from the moment of conception until natural death. We also stand strong for the protection of free speech, religious freedom, and rights of conscience because they go hand in hand. To threaten religious institutions and organizations that the price of advocating for the unborn is violence and desecration is an abomination and a shameful attempt to stifle free speech and the free exercise of religion. More shameful will be if it is effective.

We have heard from some that they are nervous to come out to the sidewalk with us right now. We have heard from more, however, that they want to come out to the sidewalk to ensure safety in numbers. What abortion extremists may not have expected is that the Christian is willing to embrace suffering for love of others, even those whom we have never met.
These two women and their babies join the hundreds (if not thousands) of women and children in Central Ohio who experience the gift of life because people like you are willing to endure the possibility of a little suffering for love of them and the Gospel. One day, the head of Greater Columbus Right to Life will visit our current vigil site, a Planned Parenthood’s surgical clinic, the way that we recently visited the former site of Ohio’s first abortion clinic.

Our natural response to these evils is prayer and fasting. They are also the two most effective tools we have for ending abortion. If you’ve not yet had the opportunity to join us during this Spring 40 Days for Life campaign, it is not too late. Visit www.gcrtl.org/40-days-for-life to sponsor a day or adopt an hour. 

Just a little over eight years ago, I accepted the position of Executive Director of Greater Columbus Right to Life. I voiced one tangible goal: to see the Founder’s abortion clinic, Ohio’s first abortion clinic, close. When we mumble and groan about the very real challenges of 2020, we should never fail to give thanks for the fact that Ohio’s first abortion clinic shut down.

Most GCRTL supporters are familiar with what happened on January 22, at the Cathedral and the Statehouse. What you may not know is that on January 21, I had a discussion with our landlord about our office space not being available after the lease period was up.  The Roe event serves as a memorial, and in that spirit, I drove by Founder’s on my way home from the Statehouse. I nearly drove my car off the road when I saw that it had a “for sale” sign in the yard. The sign says, “Greater Columbus R…ealty,” but every time I drive by, I see “Greater Columbus Right to Life.”

The last few weeks have been remarkably busy. I’ve been working with law enforcement, legal authorities, and State officials regarding what was permitted to happen and handling the overwhelming response to what happened. We’ve kicked off our 40 Days for Life Campaign and preparing to announce our banquet under current pandemic standards. We’ve restarted hybrid sessions of trainings on sidewalk ministry and end-of-life ethics. I’ve also been packing up our office and looking at available commercial real estate listings. 

I’ve also been to Founder’s abortion clinic. It’s a place I’ve been to hundreds of times, but for the first (and second) time ever – I went inside.
My first visit to Founder’s was difficult. I scheduled it intentionally for a time and date that I knew I could leave and immediately go to Mass and a Holy Hour. I brought a bottle of Holy Water sourced from the healing well of the 5th Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe that I brought back from a GCRTL pilgrimage in 2016.
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When we walked in, the first thing I saw was that the message “You’re Safe” had been chalked over the door. Given what I saw inside, this could not have been less true. 

When we entered, we paused to offer a prayer for all those who had been killed and wounded there – that they find peace and healing. For all who had worked or volunteered there. For all who had stood outside and offered prayers, sung hymns, and offered assistance. We also prayed that we might be guided to do God’s will in this and everything.

In terms of impressions, I had a few. The first is that the inside was one of the most unprofessional looking places I’ve ever been. Almost every room was a mismatch of garish colors. Most of the rooms looked as though they had purchased mis-tints of paint and painted when needed.  A few looked to have newer paint in colors making a mockery of femininity – neon green and bright pinks and purples reminiscent of Barbie’s Dream House. Several rooms featured semi-motivational quotes on the wall and gel-cling hearts on the windows. One of the most unintentionally (or possibly intentionally) ironic stickers said, “Life is Beautiful.”

My second impression was that the facility was filthy. I don’t mean the kind of dust that accumulates in a building that has been unused for a few months. I mean the kind of filth that accumulates when people just simply do not care. In several places, condensation had gathered around dirty heating vents, leaving muddy brown drips inches long on the walls. The carpets were soiled beyond belief, especially those in rooms marked “employees only.” The tile was so dirty that our realtor indicated it could not be salvaged.

The building itself appeared rather solid and surprisingly sound. Nonetheless, the overall conditions of how things were maintained as well as the original use means that extensive renovation will be required before any reputable entity takes over the building. Apparently there have been two entities who have expressed an interest in the building: us and some women who said they work in “women’s health.”

I thought it might be useful to walk our readers through the facility. For some, it might be cathartic. For others it will be disturbing. Please note the disclaimer used above: this could be disturbing. Photos have been included at the end in roughly the same order that they are described in this article. 

To enter the building, one walks up a few steps under a dark awning and into a dimly lit waiting room. The waiting room is long and narrow. A walled off reception desk and a door separate the waiting room from the rest of the clinic. Aside from the drabness and the dirtiness, it could pass for an ordinary clinic. Once a woman passed through that area, we believe she would normally have been taken upstairs to the second floor for the informed consent portion of her appointment. Ohio law requires that any woman seeking to have an abortion go through a surgical informed consent appointment at least 24 hours before her abortion, whether it is surgical or medical.  On the second floor are various consultation rooms, what looks like a conference room, and several heavily secured rooms that look like they may have been used to store medicines or personal property of employees. There is a room marked “laboratory,” with cabinets and shelves but no sink. Another area appears to have been an employee break room with a kitchenette and a large chalk board. A small room was labeled as a records room, and the biggest area appears to have had the doctors’ office and computer and data areas in it. Dr. Schaeffer left behind several professional certificates that are still hanging on the wall. Post-it-notes in at least one consultation room indicate numbers to Pre-term in Cleveland and Women’s Med in Dayton. Both facilities offer later-term procedures and could have been used to refer women who had a pregnancy beyond ten weeks or for whom the abortion pill did not work to a surgical clinic once the facility lost its surgical license. Before Founder’s closed forever it had operated for a few months as a non-surgical clinic.
The first floor was most likely used predominantly for abortion procedures, especially when the clinic was operating surgically. In addition to the long, narrow waiting room, the first floor featured two smaller offices, a suite of restrooms, four procedure rooms, a products of conception room, and another long room designated as a recovery space. There was also an emergency exit door and an entrance into the basement. In the basement, we found abandoned surgical gowns and carts. There was a large modern cistern and a very large amount of cleaning supplies for a facility that did not appear to be dedicated to keeping things clean.

The four procedure rooms were smallish and clustered in a square around a smaller room marked as the “products of conception” room. The overall filth of the conditions meant that you could clearly see the outline of where gynecological tables were positioned as well as the outlines of what were probably either instrument carts or a suction machine. Chains attached to the wall in one room most likely held oxygen and nitrous oxide canisters up for safety. I walked into one of the procedure rooms and I could see what appeared to be blood spatter and caked-on dirt and blood on the floor. I remembered a line from one of the inspection reports, “a heavy layer of dirt and grime coated the table.” The walls throughout the facility were soiled with what looked to be food and drink splatters, especially in the waiting and recovery area. In one of the recovery areas, there appeared to be a partially formed handprint of a rusty brown material. I presumed it was blood, but it may have been another substance. At the doors of the procedure room, in the hallways, and in the recovery rooms there were ammonia inhalants taped to the walls every few feet. At least one of them had what appeared to be droplets of blood on them.

As an aside, it is very surprising that the smelling salts were still set out in a clinic that (allegedly) hadn’t been performing surgical procedures for more than six months before shutting down.

The last room that should be noted in any tour of the clinic is the so-called “Products of Conception” room. It should be noted that our knowledge of what the rooms were used for is based on the nameplates used on the rooms themselves, the blueprints for the building, anecdotal information from previous patients and a few former employees, the obvious equipment in the room, and the common use in other abortion clinics.

Most people probably know the Productions of Conception (or POC) room from stories from people like Abby Johnson or exposés such as those done by the Center for Medical Progress.  There is no easy way to state this, but generally a POC room is where the fetal remains and uterine contents are taken following a surgical abortion. In some places, staff may be asked to review the contents to see that all contents of the uterus were removed during the abortion procedure. Leaving behind any content increases the risk of complications like sepsis or hemorrhage. In most rooms, the fetal remains will be emptied from a container, possibly inspected, and prepared for disposal. When Founder’s held a surgical license, a bio-waste company would come on Thursdays and cart out boxes of red bio-waste bags. Those were always sad and sobering days.

I was prepared when I walked into the POC room that it would be sad and sobering. I was not prepared for it to smell so actively of death and decay. This was especially surprising given that the room was not legally used for surgical abortions in at least a year.

The room itself had a small working table immediately across from the door. Next to it was a metal sink that looked very much like a hand-washing sink. Next to it was a device most people are not familiar with, known as a hopper or a sluice. A sluice is used in surgical settings to dispose of liquid medical waste such as blood and maybe urine. In some clinics, the remains of very early terminated pregnancies are reported to be flushed down these systems. There also appeared to be a hose system that very much looked like one of the older-style bedpan rinsing hoses. On the side and opposite walls were several sets of wall shelves. I would imagine that these were used to hold onto blood, urine, and fetal remains until they were disposed of.

It was not easy to walk through the space, nor was it easy to share here. I went to Mass and then spent some time in a Holy Hour, grieving. To be honest, my job is sort of a perpetual mourning for those lost to abortion and those hurt by it. I think that it is important for anyone who is engaged in a pro-life mission to embrace the reality of that grief and work through it on a regular basis. This was different though, and it is hard to explain. I ran into a friend leaving Church. He could tell I was a bit disconcerted, and as I tried to explain why, he proffered a the very manly advice of, “Why be sad about something you can’t change.”

This, of course, was a well-meaning if unhelpful thing to say in that moment. What I could not express at the time but have spent several hours pontificating upon in my head is that grief is an appropriate response to evil. If you believe that evil is real, and if you believe that the unborn person is fully human, what could be more evil than the places where human persons are intentionally targeted for death by the cruelty of abortion? First they are disenfranchised, then dismembered, and finally disposed of and dismissed. I beg to God that I am never not moved to grief by the presence of evil in our world and that I am always moved to respond to it in a way that is guided by His hand.

It may be hard to think of redeeming such a space, but how powerful would that be? Imagine if you will, a life-affirming center with a meaningful memorial to those precious unborn who lost their lives there, a place where moms and dads can pay tribute to their own children lost to the lies of abortion, and a center where we train and equip the next generation of fearless and faithful pro-life advocates and incubate new organizations that form to fill the gaps in what we do. I can see knocking down the walls of the procedure room and turning it into a chapel and a memorial, such as has been done in other places.

Unfortunately, when we learned last June that the clinic was closing, the property had already been listed and was in contract for a cash-offer sale. As the weeks and months passed, I watched the property formerly known as Founder’s, curious to see who would move in. There was no sign of anyone moving in, no sign of anyone taking over, and no indication that the building was being modified or renovated.  I did some property searches and found the name of the organization that had bought the building. An online search suggested that the new business may be in some legal trouble, and I wondered briefly if it was no coincidence. I did not investigate it any more until the night of January 22nd when I drove by after the disruption at the Cathedral and the Roe Remembrance and learning that we would need to find a new office location.

It turns out that the business that purchased the property carried on the legacy of breaking the law and taking advantage of the vulnerable. It has a very serious indictment against it, and the building was seized and is being sold by a federal prosecutor.

Purchasing, renovating, and maintaining the building would probably cost between $750,000 and a million dollars. It is not feasible for us without the intervention of some very motivated and generous donors to purchase it on our behalf. In the interim, we will be looking to look for new office location(s) around central Ohio as we continue to grow and serve. 

How can you help?

If you are reading this far, I imagine that you have a heart for the pro-life cause. If you are a person with a heart to see Ohio’s first abortion clinic set to life-affirming use or are motivated to invest in some real estate for the cause, give me a call. For others, I invite you to consider how you can use this time of preparation before Easter to give of yourself to meet the pro-life mission. We are actively looking for people who can pray with us, volunteer in another capacity, or partner with us for financial support of our mission. Consider offering up an hour of your time to pray during 40 Days for Life, fast for a day to end abortion, or simply open wide your heart to the beauty of God’s gift of Life. 

Note: These photos are the property of Greater Columbus Right to Life and they may not be used in any format without express written approval of the organization. 

First of all, let's be clear. This was not a "momentary and nonviolent" interruption. It was a prolonged, obscenity and blasphemy-laden desecration of the Mass at the spiritual home of nearly 300,000 Catholics in central Ohio. It started with individuals screaming past a security officer, knocking over a table, and running into people. Children were terrified and crying. It was a trespass on the property of the Church. It was likely a violation of the federal FACE act.

To reframe what happened as a "momentary and nonviolet" act is a blatant twisting of the facts and a distortion of the truth. It could only be voiced by those who would deny the violence of abortion - which is the intentional death, dismemberment, and destruction of a human child, by wrapping it in euphemism and promoting it as a right sanctioned by God. 

There are numerous false and ridiculous claims made in the statement to justify and give cover to this act of violence and to silence those who hold that respecting the dignity of the person and autonomy of the body as being extended to those inside and outside of the womb. It is manipulative and abusive to tell those who are gathered in peaceful and somber observance that they deserve to have their worship interrupted because they hold views that another person finds absurd or offensive. It is a classic case of victim blaming. It is manipulative. It is also unamerican. No person deserves to have their worship be disrupted and condemned in any church, mosque, temple, or other holy place. No one. 

Greater Columbus Right to Life does not speak on the behalf of the Bishop or the Diocese. We do run a sidewalk counseling program in the central Ohio region. To our knowledge, the Diocese does not run a program, but many Catholic (and protestant) churches and their members participate in our program. We do not own the sidewalk, and do hold our volunteers to high standards. We do not use voice amplification devices and we make sure those who do are aware that doing so is against the law. We do not trespass. We also do not agree with the tactics and techniques used by some groups and some individuals. We do not own the sidewalk and we cannot shut down the speech we do not like. None of our volunteers would be tolerated to behave in this way. We have still managed to participate in some 600+ of what we call "turn-aways." That is what we call it when one of our volunteers encounters a woman who is considering an abortion and makes the choice to turn away. If you are motivated to join us, learn how here.

For the ORCRC to itemize their bizarre lamentations to justify this behavior suggests that their organization is based more on changing and situational ethics than any Biblical or theological truth. This is incredibly problematic not only in contemplation of moral theology but also in response the mission of many faiths to change the world in pursuit of justice. We will talk about this a bit more in a moment. The ORCRC implies that it is acceptable to storm into, riot, and shut down a Mass in as a religious and public policy response to those who oppose abortion. This implies that it is acceptable to storm into, riot inside of, and shut down an abortion clinic as a religious and public policy response to those who oppose abortion. This simply is not true. 

While it would not be productive to take apart each of these blatantly ridiculous statements put out by the ORCRC, I want to hold two particular statements up to some light. The first is "we lament that the Roman Catholic leaders in our region have shown far more interest in speaking up for the sacredness of their right to enjoy quiet cathedral worship than for the rights of people in our state to have the final say over their own health care." This is an attempt to obscure the real issue here. It is never ok to desecrate a house of worship. It is never ok to terrorize children. It is never ok to threaten people from exercising their religious conscience. It is never ok to threaten someone for their political beliefs.  This past summer, many people came to peacefully protest the death of George Floyd. A small number of those protesting turned to vandalism, arson, looting, and violence. Those who objected to this behavior were accused of caring more about glass breaking than the life of Mr. Floyd, as though someone could not care about two things at once. We can, and we should. The foundation of pro-life work is that we can care about the unborn child and the mother. We can exercise our religion and work to pass laws that conform to consciences shaped by our beliefs. The hypocrisy is maddening, but it is more important than that. This type of deeply flawed logic makes it increasingly difficult to function as a republic. 

The second statement I would like to hold up is "Whether in the sanctuary of St. Joseph's Cathedral or on the Statehouse steps, we trust that honest words spoken in truth and righteous anger will transform hearts and renew relationships in necessary ways." Again, I restate this. Abortion advocates are welcome to (and frequently do) express their positions in events at the Statehouse. They have the same right as Greater Columbus Right to Life to do so. Their words, however gross, are protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Their ability to hold those events without disruption is governed by the laws of the state and the policies of the Statehouse. Those laws and policies hold that if a person holds an event at the Statehouse those who properly obtain a permit are granted the exclusive right to use that space. They also have the right to exclude those who may try to disrupt it, and that trespass on that right will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Those protections should be extended equally to Ohio RCRC and Greater Columbus Right to Life. This is the very definition of justice - the constant and permanent determination to give each person his or her due. This is why the church and the well-formed soul will speak out against violations of the dignity of every person, whether it be a person who is a victim of racial bias or ageism. The opponents of abortion are willing to have this debate. The advocates shut it down. This is how injustice is perpetuated. Likewise, however flawed a teaching it is to teach that God delights in the death of anyone, the faith leaders in the ORCRC are welcome to preach that from their platforms. 

But let us look at the "honest words spoken in truth and righteous anger" that they speak of.  I apologize for the language. 
"2, 4, 6, 8. This Church Teaches Hate"
"Catholics and pigs"
"F*ck you"
"Your church is a f*cking hate church"
"So funny that you teach the love of life when you teach people to hate"
"Don't F*cking touch me" (as the police are trying to remove them)
"We hate you"
"If hell was (sic) real, you would burn in it."
"Stop looking like a weirdo, maybe get some Rogaine"
"You look like a prehistoric turtle"
"idiot"
"I will have an abortion if you keep talking to me. I will abort right now"
"I wish my mom had aborted me so I didn't have to deal with your dumb *ss"
"Stay out of or lives and we will stay out of your stupid life."
"The police, like the pigs they are, are defending them"
"Are you guys just bored because you have to protect this dumb building all of the time?"
To an OSHP officer "How many times you jack off in there, actually - where were you January 6th?"
"F*ck you and your permit, b*tch."
"Do you want to eat my p*ssy, because you keep following me like you want to taste me, and I'm confused.. Because I don't like white men. I don't like white people. Especially not pedophiles and pigs"
"you guys are f*cking trash."
"Look at these pigs, oink, oink."
"Fund abortion, not cops"
"What the F*ck are you doing, you ugly *ssed b*tch"
"Time for pig stew"
"This is a man who has to be in control and can't stand when women are the f*ck in control."

This was just a small selection of the content. 

To characterize this as "honest words, spoken in truth and righteous anger will transform hearts and renew relationships" is laughable. 

Righteous anger is anger that is constrained by reason and oriented toward the good. It is powerful and moves us to virtue. You can hear it echo through the words of those who have brought about great change and human advancement in the dignity of the human person. It motivates and compels us to action. It changes the world. 

This was not righteous anger. This was contemptuous and hateful. It is lacking reason and its ends are consuming. It is evil. 

The Ohio RCRC does itself or its members who genuinely seek the dignity of the person no service when they confuse good for evil, not just in their ends but in the means by which they seek it. 

LOOKING FOR MORE INFO ON THE CATHEDRAL AND ROE ATTACKS?

GCRTL Statement   (1/23/21)

Update with LTE and Statehouse Complaint (1/28/21)

Response to RCRC (1/29/21)