Seventy four-year Old Jailed for Pro-Life ‘Activism’

I stumbled into this worrying story from Britain. Edward Atkinson, a 74-year old man, was convicted last week on charges of sending malicious mail and anti-social behavior. The man, described as a militant anti-abortion activist in the London Sunday Times, had sent pictures of aborted fetuses to the chief executive of Queen Elizabeth Hostpital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

Not only is it worrying that this man was jailed at all, but that the London newspaper described the incident as “evidence of the shock tactics being used by hardline anti-abortionists.” Americans especially must be somewhat amused by this description since this usually refers bomb-crazed loonies being dragged off by ATF agents from an abortion clinic. Mr. Atkinson’s most active part in his “shock tactics” was licking an envelope and putting a stamp on.

For those of you who had failed to realize that Britain is rapidly becoming a totalitarian country outlawing religion, or in fact, everything that cannot be proved ethical from Karl Marx’ Das Kapital, here is the evidence. Britain has a law that can send a 74-year old man to jail for “sending malicious mail.” The recipient of the mail, Ruth May, was in tears as she described the “very upsetting and offensive literature” Mr. Atkinson had sent her. Well, of course the mail was upsetting. But could it be more upsetting and offensive than the practices the literature depicted? After all, as the person in authority in the hostpital she is in charge of the abortions performed there. In other words, it is legal to abort babies, but illegal to tell people about it?

People of Britain, wake up!