Judge Issues Final Ruling Favoring Pro-Life Activist in Abortion Protest Case
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 9, 2007

Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com) -- It's taken 21 years and three trips to the Supreme Court for Joe Scheidler to get his name cleared in a case involving allegations that his abortion protests constituted organized racketeering. Scheidler's Pro-Life Action League and Operation Rescue were sued in 1986 by the pro-abortion National Organization of Women.

NOW claimed Scheidler's organization participated in illegal and violent protests against abortion businesses and said the group should be prosecuted under federal RICO statutes that are used to target organized crime.

The Supreme Court ultimately rejected the argument and, on Tuesday, Federal Judge David Coar issued his final judgment in the case.

In a statement sent to LifeNews.com, Scheidler said he never gave up fighting to protect the lives of women and unborn children despite pro-abortion attempts to stop him. the rest