Iowa Grandmother Jailed for Discouraging Abortion; Anti-Christian Bigotry Run Amok
by Staff
January 24, 2008
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., (christiansunite.com) -- In March, 2007, Donna Holman was convicted of a charge of "harassment" as she engaged in "sidewalk counseling" to discourage women from entering a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Iowa City, Iowa. Judge Karen Egerton found Mrs.Holman guilty on the hearsay testimony of Planned Parenthood employees. The woman Mrs. Holman allegedly harassed did not even show up for the hearing. Despite being unable to confront her accuser and offer exculpatory evidence, the Iowa Supreme Court declined to review the case.
"While murderers and rapists run free, a harmless 72- year-old Christian grandmother, Donna Holman, must languish in jail for having the temerity of speaking out on behalf of the unborn," said Dr. Gary Cass, Chairman and CEO of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. "The double standards of justice used against pro-life Christians are staggering. If Donna Holman had been a union or homosexual activist she would have been released and the trumped up charges dropped. Donna is only guilty of caring for the weakest and most vulnerable among us. The courts are guilty of aiding and abetting the abortion industry as it plies its bloody trade on bodies of innocent babies while harming unsuspecting women. It is especially troubling that she is beginning this ordeal on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.
"This case makes a mockery of the judicial system," continued Dr. Cass. "The interests of justice have been ignored. Mrs. Holman only sought to exercise her rights free speech, religion and peaceable assembly in an attempt to protect the unborn. The Iowa State Bar should begin an immediate investigation of Judge Egerton's behavior," said Dr. Cass.
The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission is a non- profit organization devoted to protecting the rights of Christians to confidently live their faith. Dr. Gary Cass has degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as Executive Director of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, an outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries founded by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy.
