New York state Attorney General, Letitia James, has sought an injunction against the pro-life organization, Red Rose Rescue, and several named individuals associated with it. The legal action, filed in the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, aims to restrict the group’s activities near abortion clinics across the state. James is seeking to bar the named defendants and those acting with them from blocking anyone seeking to access reproductive health services in New York, and from approaching within 30 feet of any such facility. The complaint suggests that Red Rose Rescue’s pro-life activism violates both the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and the New York Clinic Access Act.
Responding to the legal action, Dr. Monica Migliorino Miller, a leading member of Red Rose Rescue recently released from jail due to her pro-life activities, strongly refuted the characterisation of the group’s work as “terrorist” activity. She accused James of misrepresenting the peaceful and compassionate outreach of the group in an effort to limit pro-life speech and activism. She argued that James’s attempt to silence Red Rose Rescue reflects her personal disagreement with the group’s pro-life stance.
Miller contended that the proposed 30-foot buffer zone is “grossly unjust,” given the peaceful nature of the group’s efforts to offer support and encouragement to women considering abortion. She emphasized that Red Rose Rescuers aim to provide practical aid and alternatives to abortion, and therefore should have the right to approach and engage with these women.
Highlighting the mission of Red Rose Rescue, Miller described their work as a defense of the rights of unborn children. She pointed out that the group’s members willingly accept the legal consequences that sometimes arise from their interventions. Such interventions typically take place inside abortion clinics, where Red Rose Rescuers offer red roses to pregnant women while sharing information about alternatives to abortion.
In conclusion, Miller invited Attorney General James to familiarize herself with Red Rose Rescue’s mission statement and rules of conduct, suggesting that such knowledge might dispel what she characterized as James’s “pro-abortion mischaracterization” of the group’s efforts to assist women and protect unborn lives.