Former Vice President Mike Pence savaged a pro-abortion group that called on its followers to mob church services on Mother’s Day, saying the move was “totally unacceptable.”
While the mass protests encouraged by groups like Ruth Sent Us and Rise Up 4 Abortion didn’t materialize, that wasn’t for lack of effort, and there were sporadic reports of disruptions or threats to Sunday’s services.
The calls to protest sprang up last week after Politico leaked a draft opinion — reportedly supported by five Supreme Court justices — that would overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.
(Here at The Western Journal, we’ve been chronicling how the woke mob has tried to intimidate pro-life forces since the draft opinion was leaked — and how that was likely the intention behind leaking it in the first place. We’ll continue to keep the left accountable for their dangerous mob-rule tactics. You can help us by subscribing.)
Fox News asked Pence about the potential for protests during a Saturday interview.
“Well, every American has a right to peaceful protest, peaceable assemblies guaranteed in the Constitution,” the former vice president said.
“But the rumors that there will be a disruption of church services on Mother’s Day is totally unacceptable,” he added.
“And I also think it’s absolutely imperative, as I’m sure is the case, that we see to the safety and security of all the members of the Supreme Court of the United States. But I’m confident that this Supreme Court will not be intimidated.”
The safety of churchgoers and the Supreme Court justices were, to varying degrees, imperiled by a group called Ruth Sent Us. While the group — named after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — has been around for a few years, it wasn’t until the May 2 leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion that Ruth Sent Us received any degree of attention.
Should Roe v. Wade be overturned?
In addition to posting a map with pins at or around the addresses of Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices, the group also tweeted several videos encouraging protests at churches on Sunday.
“For 200 years, the Catholic Church has been an instrument for the enslavement of women!” protesters wearing “Handmaid’s Tale” garb shouted during a protest at what was apparently a Catholic mass.
“Without this basic right, women can’t be free!” the women in another clip chanted. “Abortion on demand and without apology!”
“Do you dare to chant in your local churches?” the text in the clip read. “Comment below, we’ll send you safety tips.”
There are calls for a #MothersDayStrike. We support it, along with @StrikeForChoice who’s planning a day of walk-outs on Thu May 12. #DefendRoe
This is what Mother’s Day should look like. Catholic and Evangelical Churches nationwide: pic.twitter.com/BxvGhBGodn
— Ruth Sent Us ? (@RuthSentUs) May 3, 2022
While all churches were theoretically targets, Ruth Sent Us seemed preternaturally interested in Roman Catholicism, tweeting that abortion supporters of any background needed to “recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe.”
Pence previously addressed the implied intimidation from Ruth Sent Us during remarks at a South Carolina church on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, when he asked those in attendance to “pray for the protection and well-being of all the justices on the Supreme Court of the United States.”
“And let’s especially pray the five justices listed in the majority opinion leaked this week will have the courage of their convictions to right a historic wrong and overturn Roe v. Wade,” he said.
Pray for the protection and well-being of all the Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States and especially pray that the 5 Justices in the majority opinion leaked this week will have the courage of their convictions to right a historic wrong. pic.twitter.com/kKKY82BARx
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) May 5, 2022
During his remarks to Fox News on Saturday, Pence called the leak a “despicable act” and called for accountability — noting, with some irony, that even Justice Ginsburg (the “Ruth” in “Ruth Sent Us,” after all) believed Roe v. Wade wasn’t the soundest legal decision the court had ever made.
“I have long believed that Roe v. Wade was not only morally wrong but deeply legally flawed,” Pence said.
“I hope and pray that the majority of the court will return the question of abortion to the states and the American people where it belongs,” the former vice president said. “Now, that will not end the debate over abortion. It will simply open up a new battlefield in the cause of life.”
Thankfully, if the absence of widespread protests disrupting Mother’s Day church services was any indication of Ruth Sent Us’ influence, we don’t necessarily have much to worry about.
According to the Catholic News Agency, protesters wearing “huge hats” and “red, hooded gowns” — the standard “Handmaid’s Tale” garb — disrupted mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
“The description of the protesters’ attire provided by the parishioner, Bradford Adkins, resembles costumes worn by members of the pro-abortion group Ruth Sent Us, which threatened to disrupt Catholic Masses on Sunday, Mother’s Day,” the Catholic News Agency reported.
“As of 10 p.m. EDT on Sunday, the group did not appear to have taken responsibility for the protest in Los Angeles. Representatives of the group did not respond to CNA’s request for comment prior to publication.”
Marxists try to disrupt Mass at Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels. Security, ushers and parishioners said they were not having it.#cathedral #Catholic pic.twitter.com/HlN8yHxPKL
— Romangod7 (@Romangod7) May 8, 2022
Smaller protests were reported elsewhere on Sunday. According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, in New York City, a female performance artist who goes by the moniker “Crackhead Barney,” attired in a one-piece bathing suit, dangled a doll while yelling “I’m killing the babies!” outside of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
“God killed his son, why can’t I?” Crackhead Barney, the leader of the small group of protesters, asked.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language and imagery that some viewers will find offensive.
Crackhead Barney Made An Appearance As Pro-Abortion Protesters Faced Off With Pro-Life Group Outside The Old St Patrick’s Cathedral #NYC | #NewYork pic.twitter.com/HLk2xH66og
— J̵̟̦̲̞̭̱̀̈́͑̄̇̈́̚͝ustice (@The_Justice7) May 7, 2022
In the meantime, Ruth Sent Us has continued to Catholic-bait on its Twitter account and seemed to indicate future calls to church protests might be in the offing.
Stuff your rosaries and your weaponized prayer.
We will remain outraged after this weekend, so keep praying.
We’ll be burning the Eucharist to show our disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches have condoned for centuries. pic.twitter.com/1UxAkyuXTg
— Ruth Sent Us ? (@RuthSentUs) May 7, 2022
The bigger threat remains Ruth Sent Us’ publication of the addresses of the Supreme Court justices, however — and the group’s “Walk-By Wednesday” protests at or around the Republican-appointed jurists’ houses are set two days away.
Fox News reported last week that “there has been a strong police presence at the justices’ homes following the leak.”
One prays this is enough — and that the intimidation tactics of the leftist mob will succeed at nothing but embarrassing those who participated in or refused to condemn it.
