Abortion protesters target teens

COEUR d'ALENE - Coeur d'Alene High School students can expect to be greeted Monday by demonstrators seeking to eliminate all abortions.

School officials alerted parents and guardians Friday that members of the Abolitionist Society of North Idaho plan to promote an initiative next week on the city's public right-of-way in front of the school. The society is part of a national movement named Abolish Human Abortion.

"The group's intention is to engage with high school students and provide anti-abortion information," wrote school district communications director Laura Rumpler in a letter sent to parents. "It is not the role of our school district to take a stance on this issue, but it is our job to protect freedom of expression/free speech and primarily, to protect our students and their learning environment."

The letter, penned by Rumpler and sent out on behalf of Coeur d'Alene High School Principal Warren Olson, advises that students will be asked to refrain from engaging with the demonstrators and to "exhibit respectful behavior as this group exercises its right to free speech."

Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood said organizers contacted her agency notifying them of the demonstration.

Wood said the police department's role is to ensure that Abolitionist Society demonstrators abide by city ordinances.

"The school district will make it clear that they're not allowed on school property," Wood said.

Scott Herndon, a Sagle resident and one of the society's leaders, told The Press on Friday that there are about 75 similar abolitionist societies nationwide, and they are participating in a project called "Project Frontlines." The initiative is specifically designed to bring the group's message of abolishing abortion directly to high school students.

Herndon said they target the teens because they consider the young girls to be the "decision-makers," when it comes to abortion. In North Idaho, a teen is able to go to Spokane for a procedure without a parent ever knowing about it, Herndon said, because Washington state law doesn't require parental consent.

School officials in Coeur d'Alene cautioned parents that Abolitionist Society members will likely hold signs and hand out fliers bearing graphic images meant to illicit strong reactions.

"We liken ourselves to the abolitionists of slavery," Herndon said of his group's use of strong imagery.

Those abolitionists used a similar tactic, he said, pointing to anti-slavery propaganda that used the image of a black man in shackles, on his knees, with hands raised.

"It's when pictures got out of the lynchings that attitudes started to change," he said. "Those images are very compelling to people."

The North Idaho society has been in place for about a year, Herndon said. The national Abolish Human Abortion movement is about two years old.

There are about 50 active members in the North Idaho society, and they hail from throughout the region, with some coming from the Spokane area also.

"We're basically born-again Christians who have banded together," Herndon said.

Much of the pro-life movement is aimed at legislation like fetal pain bills that have appeared in various states recently, he said. Members don't believe those types of legislative approaches are the right way to deal with the issue. There are no compromises for abolitionists, Herndon said.

He said society members don't engage in arguments about science and reason.

"Our goal is to rally to change hearts and minds through an educational approach, with a Biblical basis," he said.

They will likely be at Coeur d'Alene High School for several days next week, with about a half-dozen demonstrators, in the mornings and the afternoons. Because the city has a permit requirement for groups that exceed 25 people, Herndon said they are trying to keep their group small.

Society members demonstrated in Sandpoint in January.

"We will eventually go to Post Falls High School as well. That will be somewhat soon, probably within a month or so," Herndon said.