In a practice at least as old as the Crusades, Christian fundamentalists are converting conquered territory—in this case, abortion clinics—into chapels. According to the right-wing Family News in Focus, pro-lifers have purchased mothballed abortion clinics in five states for memorials to the “pre-born.” FNIF happily notes that the number of abortion clinics in America has dwindled from a high of around 2,000 in the early ’90s to only 750 today—presumably creating a buyer’s market for the faithful.
The practice seems reminiscent of the Dark-Age sacking of mosques or the Spanish razing of Cuzco, right down to the hasty plans for remodeling. Notes FNIF:
[R]edeeming an abortion clinic means tearing down a few walls. When Central Women’s Services in downtown Wichita closed, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue purchased it, then gutted the building.
“We’re thrilled by the prospect of being in this building – having a chapel here where women can come and even mourn the loss of their baby.”
He wants to build a prayer garden behind the building so women can leave flowers for the babies they lost to an abortion.
