Pro-life man victim of 'violent assault' outside Denver Planned Parenthood

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) has announced that it is representing a pro-life man who was assaulted while sidewalk counseling outside a Denver Planned Parenthood on July 30.

Key Takeaways:

• Pro-lifer Clifton Powell was reportedly assaulted while peacefully advocating for life outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Denver on July 30.

• Police have issued a warrant for the assailant's arrest.

• Pro-lifers have long been subjected to acts of violence while peacefully advocating for life.

The Details:

According to the ACLJ, Clifton Powell was part of a group of pro-life volunteers outside the Planned Parenthood in Denver on July 30, when a man drove alongside them, rolled down his window, and started blasting music while shouting obscenities and demanding that the group leave.

The man then exited the car and tore literature out of a female volunteer's hands. When Powell attempted to de-escalate the situation, the man ripped a sign out of Powell's hands and shoved him to the ground before driving off.

The ACLJ states:

At first, Mr. Powell thought he had escaped serious injury. But as the adrenaline wore off, he realized he was in significant pain from the force of being knocked to the ground. He was taken to the emergency room, where doctors determined he had not suffered any fractures but had sustained a large, painful contusion on his hip and side.

"This was not a harmless shove," explained the ACLJ statement, "it was a violent assault that sent a peaceful man to the emergency room."

A police report was filed after the incident, and authorities have identified the suspected perpetrator based on license plate information and a photo lineup. A warrant has been issued for the man's arrest.

The Big Picture:

Violence against peaceful pro-lifers has reached alarming levels in recent years. In one memorable incident, two elderly pro-lifers were brutally beaten outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood. Other pro-lifers have been hit by cars, slapped, punched, and more.

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, many pro-life organizations and offices — including pregnancy resource centers — were also victims of harassment and vandalism.

While pro-abortion activists were responsible for most of the attacks, it was peaceful pro-lifers who often found themselves facing legal consequences.

Sidewalk counseling in the United States and abroad has faced many challenges in recent years, with some municipalities enacting large buffer zones around abortion facilities. In England, pro-lifers have been arrested for simply standing within abortion buffer zones, silently praying while speaking to no one and carrying no pro-life signs or literature.

The Bottom Line:

The ACLJ has said that it is representing Powell "to ensure that this assault does not go unpunished and that his rights are fully defended."