Joe Scheidler: The Father of Pro-Life



Ave Maria! Fra Roderic recently caught up with Joe Scheidler in Chicago, the National Director of the Pro-Life Action League. In this interview, Joe speaks about his heroic fight against Planned Parenthood and the RICO laws. Ave Maria!

Who is Joe Scheidler?
Joseph M. Scheidler is National Director of the Pro-Life Action League, a national pro-life educational and activist organization headquartered in Chicago. The League is dedicated to saving lives through activism and to bringing the abortion issue to the public via the media. It has been said that Joseph Scheidler defined pro-life direct action.

Father of Pro-Life Activism
Joe Scheidler was called the Green Beret of the pro-life movement by syndicated columnist Patrick Buchanan. His book on his methods of fighting abortion, CLOSED: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion, was updated in 1993, and he has produced the videos Meet the Abortion Providers and Abortion: The Inside Story, featuring former abortionists who are now telling the truth about what goes on in the abortion clinics.

Joe also produced the definitive video on sidewalk counseling, No Greater Joy, and Face the Truth, an 11-minute video on a unique, highly visible pro-life demonstration using large graphic abortion posters to bring the truth about abortion to the American public. To celebrate the League's 25th Anniversary, Joe produced the video, Action Speaks Louder Than Words, a chronicle of the Pro-Life Action League's activities and the importance of pro-life activism.

NOW v Scheidler
Joe Scheidler has been featured in the national media as the chief defendant in a RICO lawsuit brought against him, the League and other pro-life activists by the National Organization for Women and two abortion clinics.

The RICO case, NOW v. Scheidler, was filed in 1986. He originally won in the lower courts, but the case was sent back to the Federal Court by the Supreme Court in January, 1994. It went to trial March 2, 1998. Scheidler and the other defendants were found guilty of racketeering by a six-member jury. That finding was finally overturned by the Supreme Court in February 2003.
Unwilling to concede defeat, NOW appealed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to undo the Supreme Court's mandate. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case again in November 2005 and issued a unanimous decision in favor of Scheidler in February 2006. However, NOW has continued to wrangle over the details of the final judgment in district court and the case remains open.

A Dynamic Speaker and Media Guest
Joe Scheidler is a stimulating and controversial guest on radio and TV interviews and talk shows and has appeared on more than a thousand programs including: ABC News Nightline, Donahue, Crossfire, Face the Nation, Good Morning America, MacNeil/Lehrer Report, The O'Reilly Factor and others. He has written many guest columns for newspapers such as USA Today and The Wanderer and has published articles in several national publications.

Joe is a dynamic speaker on the moral dimensions of the abortion issue and the effectiveness of direct action. Nationwide, he has spoken in more than 1000 towns and cities since 1980 and has conducted on-site workshops and lectures in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and Italy.

Joe Scheidler is a recognized expert on the abortion culture, sidewalk counseling, the spiritual dimension of pro-life activism, fetal experimentation, working with the media, the responsibility of the church to fight abortion, battling the courts and the need for a return to morality.

Pro-Life Action News Hotline
Joe Scheidler offers pro-life news and commentary three times a week through his Action News Hotline. Call 773-777-2525 24 hours a day, or read the Hotline online.

Joe lives in Chicago with his wife, Ann, the Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League. The couple have seven children and eighteen grandchildren.

Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Joe Scheidler interview at Aurora, IL PP protest -- August 26, 2007

Scheidler Confident After Supreme Court Hearing -- December 10, 2005

From LifeSite News:

Joe Scheidler Wins Unanimous Supreme Court Ruling against N.O.W. -- February 28, 2006

Prolifeaction.org: NOW v Sheidler

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Comments

  1. Anonymous8/24/08, 6:47 PM

    Sounds like if you have enough money like PP and NOW, you can continue to fight in lower courts to overturn the Supreme Court of the US.

    ReplyDelete

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