In a libelous statement made against those involved in the pro-life movement, New York State Senator Eric T. Schneiderman has sent a letter to his supporters linking Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, with those involved in criminal attacks against abortionists.  Schneiderman is calling on his friends at NARAL, Planned Parenthood and NOW to join him in a demonstration tomorrow night when Father Pavone is honored at a National Right to Life dinner at New York’s Waldorf Astoria.

In his letter of April 11, Schneiderman calls attention to the recent capture of James Kopp, the person accused of killing Dr. Barnett Slepian.  He also mentions how a recent court decision found it legal for a radical pro-life group, the Nuremberg Files, to post information about abortionists on its website.  He then links Father Pavone and the “enemies of choice” at the National Right to Life Committee to these extremists.  He says that Father Pavone “openly advocates criminal activity to harass abortion providers,” without ever providing evidence for this remarkable accusation.

Catholic League president William Donohue commented on this today:

“I have long said that there are irresponsible people in the pro-life movement, some of whom are downright crazy.  But most of them are good, decent people who simply want to end the killing.  On the other side, we have groups like NARAL, an organization that is on record saying that in instances when a child is born alive after an abortion—and is fully separated from his mother—he should be allowed to die.  This does not mean, however, that it would be fair to paint all pro-abortion activists as favoring this outcome.

“If the letter written by New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman had been written by someone from NARAL, it would be considered par for the course.  But when a sitting public official writes such an incendiary letter, it is outrageous.  Schneiderman has crossed the line and should apologize to those involved in the pro-life movement.”

Last week, a worker at JFK international airport called Catholic League president William Donohue saying that a mural featuring a totally naked Jesus Christ on the cross was part of a display about to open May 24 at Terminal 4, a new airport facility.  League director of communications Patrick Scully immediately contacted Peter Boone, the public relations manager for the new terminal.  Boone verified the report: the artwork showed Christ with a penis and was part of a display including 20 murals.  Mr. Boone was told that we are taking this very seriously and wanted to know what measures would be taken.  On April 19, he said he was going to talk to the project’s art consultant and that we would be very satisfied with the result.

On April 21, the worker who initially contacted Donohue did so again: he said that a loincloth had been draped around Christ’s midsection, thus ending the controversy.  The worker is a member of the Catholic League.

On April 22, Donohue mentioned this incident at a talk he gave at the opening of a new Catholic Studies Center at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York.  Paul Moses of Newsday reported on this event and confronted Donohue after his talk about the JFK incident.  He followed up on the story and accurately reported what happened in today’s edition of the Long Island daily.

Donohue issued the following remarks about this case today:

“If only the officials at the Brooklyn Museum of Art were half as responsible as the officials at JFK, then we’d have nothing to complain about.  Kudos, too, to Deborah Masters, the artist who agreed to slightly alter her work so as not to needlessly offend a large segment of the public.  This is the way these issues should be resolved.  Whether they will or not depends not on those offended, but on those responsible for the offense.”