Randall Terry

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Randall Terry

Randall A. Terry (born 1959) is an American political and conservative religious activist and musician. He founded the pro-life organization Operation Rescue in 1987 and led the group for its first 10 years. He has been arrested over 40 times for his anti-abortion activities. In 2003, he founded the Society for Truth and Justice and he also conducted a program called Operation Witness. Terry was paid $10,000 to act as spokesman for the Schindler family to keep Terri Schiavo's feeding tube connected after three courts ruled to have it removed.[1] He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the Florida State Senate, eighth district in 2006.

1 Pro-life activist
2 NOW lawsuit
3 Post-lawsuit activities
4 Bibliography
5 Discography
6 External links

[edit] Pro-life activist

Shortly after founding Operation Rescue, Terry was first arrested in 1986 for chaining himself to a sink at an abortion clinic. Operation Rescue grew to become a well-known example of civil disobedience by the American conservative right, and Terry was often in the news because of his activities as the group's leader. By the mid-1990s, Operation Rescue was "the largest peaceful civil disobedience movement in American history," accounting "for over 70,000 arrests from 1987 to 1994." Terry has since disassociated himself with the organization and, since his departure, arrest rates at Operation Rescue-related activities have declined.

In 1990, Terry was present outside the hospital where Nancy Cruzan was a patient, around the time that her feeding tube was removed.

Terry, along with Robert Schenck and Harley David Belew, were arrested and sentenced to five months in prison for arranging to have a fetus in a jar delivered to then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

According to the Orlando Sentinel Terry "earned $10,000 last year for roughly two months of work as the spokesman for Terri Schiavo's family, according to a financial-disclosure form filed with the state Division of Elections."[2]

[edit] NOW lawsuit

Terry was named as a co-defendant in the 1994 Supreme Court case, NOW v. Scheidler, which sought to apply the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against the Pro Life Action Network (PLAN). In NOW v. Scheidler, the National Organization for Women alleged that PLAN conspired to use the threat of or actual force, violence and fear against abortion clinics in order to prevent patients from using abortion clinic services. The decision of the court was that RICO is applicable even there is no economic motive for racketeering, which allowed anti-abortion activists to be convicted under the law. However, the court made no decision pertaining specifically to the allegations put forth by NOW.

Terry settled out of court with the National Organization for Women in a 1998 lawsuit, under RICO, seeking to force anti-abortion leaders to pay for damages in attacks on abortion clinics. Terry promptly filed bankruptcy, prompting Senator Charles Schumer to propose an amendment to a bankruptcy bill in Congress which would "specifically ... prevent abortion opponents from using the bankruptcy code to escape paying court fines." The amendment was not included in the final bill after meeting with resistance from House Republicans.

On February 26, 2003, and again on February 28, 2006, the Supreme Court voted (8-1 and 8-0 respectively ) that the NOW lawsuit was an improper application of the Hobbs Act; therefore; RICO did not apply. During oral arguments, several judges expressed concern that the NOW interpretation of the Hobbs Act could be used against any civil rights protest in which commerce was interrupted and incidental violence occurred.

[edit] Post-lawsuit activities

In 1998, Terry ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in upstate New York as a member of the New York State Right to Life Party.

In 2000 Terry divorced his wife of 19 years and married Andrea Kollmorgen, with whom he has had three children. For this, his own organization, Operation Rescue, declared him to be "separated from his church." According to a Washington Post report, Terry was censured in 2000 by the Landmark Church of Binghamton, New York, where he had been a member for 15 years, for a "pattern of repeated and sinful relationships and conversations with both single and married women." Flip Benham, who now runs Operation Save America, chastised Terry for not showing "Godly sorrow" and said:

It's very difficult for him to speak out with any kind of Christian authority with his kind of character flaws.

In 2003, Terry was soliciting non-tax-deductible donations on his web site. He later put a down payment on a $432,000 home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Terry explained that he and his family needed a place to be safe and to entertain "people of stature, people of importance. I have a lot of important people that come through my home. And I will have more important people come through my home." The same month, a New York State court found that Terry was not paying a "fair share of child support" to his ex-wife. In an affidavit submitted to the court earlier in the month, Terry claimed that he was three months behind on his rent and had been selling items to live.

After the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck a Texas law against sodomy as violative of constitutionally protected liberty, Terry advocated for the impeachment of the six justices who voted to strike the state law.

In 2003 Terry released a "countrified" CD, Dark Sunglasses Day.

In 2003, Terry became the spokesman for Terri Schiavo's parents and was in the news as "Terri's Law" was passed in Florida. He continued as the Schindler's spokesman as the struggle rose to the level of national crisis and Schiavo's death in March 2005.

In 2004 Terry's adopted son Jamiel came out as a homosexual and wrote an article for Out Magazine; Terry disowned his son and claimed that his son was homosexual because of the abuse he suffered before Terry "rescued" him at age 8. Terry also claimed that 90% of lesbians were sexually assaulted in their youth and that gay men die at the average age of 42.

In 1995, Terry received a letter of support from Mother Teresa.[3]

Both of Terry's adopted daughters became pregnant outside of marriage, which effectively ended their relationship with their father; one later became a Muslim.

James Jewel, Chuck Colson's former chief-of-staff, wrote in his blog:

(Jeb Bush's handling of the Schiavo conflict is) in contrast to the rantings of Randall Terry about Jeb “blinking,” and not doing enough. I find the Schindlers to be wonderfully sincere and incredibly sympathetic characters, but they made a terrible decision naming Terry as their spokesperson. He has been a disaster for the pro-life movement throughout the years, and is the wrong voice for this case and any other when we need measured reason and effective discourse.

In June 2005 Terry announced plans to run in the primary against Florida Republican state senator James E. King, citing King's work in attempting to block legislation which would have kept Schiavo on life support. [4]. On September 5 2006, Terry was defeated in the primary, with King receiving over 2/3 of the votes cast. Terry already has announced plans to run for the state legislature in 2008.

[edit] Bibliography

Accessory To Murder: The Enemies, Allies, And Accomplices To The Death of Our Culture (1990) ISBN 0943497787
Why Does A Nice Guy Like Me... ...Keep Getting Thrown In Jail?: How theological escapism and cultural retreatism in the Church have lead to America's demise. (1993) ISBN 1563840529
The Sword: The Blessing Of Righteous Government And The Overthrow Of Tyrants (1995) ISBN 188769000X