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Paul Schenck

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Paul Schenck, along with his twin brother, Robert, born in 1959 in Buffalo, New York, have been anti-abortion activitists and clergy.

Anti-abortion activist careers

The two twin Schenk brothers are former Buffalo Pentacostol Born again Jews for Jesus. Both brothers converted from Judaism to Christianity at a revival service in the mid 1970's and then went into the ministry together.

Paul founded New Covenant Tabernacle [1] in Tonawanda, New York in the early 1980's. The Schencks are closely tied to Pat Robertson and Paul later became the administrative director of the American Center for Law and Justice.

The brothers were involved with Randall Terry and the founding of Operation Rescue and in bringing and operation called the "Spring of Life" to Buffalo and to focus its protests on physicians, including Barnett Slepian, who performed abortions and block abortion clinics. Slepian was later shot to death in his home by an anti-abortion sniper. Paul's image appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. Robert was photographed holding a 20-week stillborn fetus in his hands.

Robert and Terry were arrested in 1992 when he tried to present Bill Clinton with a fetus during the Democratic National Convention in New York.

Until about 1994, the brothers had worked together, primarily in Buffalo, but then Paul moved to Virginia Beach and Robert moved to Washington, D.C.

Paul and Robert Schenk were sentenced to Federal Prison for lying under oath about their activities and identities. After prison and the death of Slepian, they both distanced themselves from Operation Rescue.

Paul was involved in a case that went to the US Supreme Court to decide details about restraining orders, in particular for protesters around abortion clinics. The Court held that an injunction provisions imposing "fixed buffer zone" limitations are constitutional, but the provisions imposing "floating buffer zone" limitations violate the First Amendment.

On December 24, 1996, Robert again encountered Clinton at the Washington National Cathedral and, in reference to Clinton's veto of legislation banning partial birth abortions, said "God will hold you to account, Mr. President." Robert was detained by the Secret Service.

For a time, Robert was the Pentecostol chaplain on Capitol Hill for Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Robert also involved himself in the controversy of judge Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments courthouse monument.

On January 5, 2006, Robert was reported in the Wall Street Journal as having entered during off-hours the hearing rooms for the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito and pouring holy oil on the chairs. Alito could shift the balance of power on some abortion issues if confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court

References

  • Live From the Gates of Hell: An Insider's Look at the Antiabortion Underground by Jerry Reiter (2000) ISBN 1573928402

See Also

Books

  • Ten Words That Will Change a Nation by Robert Schenck (2002) ISBN 1577782496
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