Red Rose Fighting Felony

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TRANSCRIPT

Four pro-life defenders are being tried for felony resisting and obstructing a police officer in connection with a 2019 Red Rose Rescue in Flint, Michigan.

Kristine Christlieb gives this update on a case Church Militant has been following for three years.

Michigan Circuit Court Judge David Newblatt is ruling four Red Rose Rescue defendants are not eligible for two defense options — namely, "necessity" and "defense of others."

On June 7, 2019, four individuals entered the waiting room of an abortion mill, the Women's Center of Flint and Saginaw.

The defendants offered the women waiting for an abortion red roses with cards encouraging them to let love overcome their current circumstances.

When abortion mill management asked them to leave, the rescuers refused.

When police arrived and asked them to leave, they still refused.

When arrested, they went limp — refusing to assist in their own arrest.

Even though their noncompliance was passive, they were still charged with resisting arrest.

In his motion asking for the judge to give the jury instructions about the defense of necessity and defense of others, American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) cofounder Robert Muise argued his clients were "performing an act of defense of others — a morally positive action on behalf of persons (mother and unborn child) whose lives were imminently in danger."

While Newblatt acknowledged the bravery and sincerity of the defendants, he pointed out that nothing illegal was happening at the abortion mill requiring the defendants to break the law.

Robert Muise, AFLC attorney:

I know this is kind of an uphill battle we're fighting against the civil law, but as I mentioned to the judge, at some point some civil rights attorney had to stand up and, you know, say, challenge these Jim Crow laws, challenge other injustices that we've experienced as a nation. You know, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. What courageous judge, then, would say, "You know what, what she did was correct."

Muise explained what the judge's ruling means for the upcoming June trial.

Robert Muise: "The felony offense carries with it up to a year's imprisonment, by definition. The misdemeanor trespass — and again the felony was resisting an officer — the misdemeanor trespass carries a sentence of 90 days."

In making his decision, Judge Newblatt talked about the rights of all the people in the waiting room, except the rights of the unborn.

If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in a few weeks, here's what the fallout will be in Michigan: It should mean an old pro-life law from the 1930s will kick back into effect, but the attorney general has said her office will not enforce that law.

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