Foreword
During the mid-1980s, a group of activists — including Joseph Scheidler, Andrew Scholberg, Randall Terry, and Timothy Murphy — and organizations such as Operation Rescue led an aggressive program of nationwide abortion demonstrations, which they called "rescues" or "blitzes." They planned and oversaw protests around the country, using both legal and illegal means, such as blockading entrances to clinics, entering buildings, and vandalizing property. In 1986, the National Organization for Women (NOW) filed a lawsuit alleging that the activists, as part of the Pro-Life Action Network (PLAN), were committing extortion against the clinics. NOW cited provisions of the Hobbs Act…
