Red Rose Rescue

MORRISTOWN  Four people — two priests and two laypersons — all members of the Red Rose Rescue movement, were arrested and charged with trespassing at Garden State Gynecology here after entering and then refusing to leave the abortion clinic July 13.

They had entered the facility to offer red roses to the pregnant women inside, who were scheduled to have abortions that day. They also encouraged and counseled the women to choose life instead.

The four arrested were Father Fidelis Moscinski, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, Father Dave Nix, Will Goodman and a woman who wished to remain anonymous in solidarity with babies in the womb.

Red Rose Rescue, a pro-life organization, in which participants or rescuers actually go inside abortion facilities offering help to women who are scheduled to have abortions where they provide an act of practical defense for their unborn children. They offer the women red roses as a symbol of life. Each rose has a card which states, “You were made to love and to be loved. Your goodness is greater than the difficulties of your situation. Circumstances in life change. A new life, however tiny, brings the promises of unrepeatable joy.” The card also includes phone numbers of local pregnancy help centers.

On Saturday, two babies in the womb were saved according to Lisa Hart, a parishioner at St. Patrick Parish in Chatham here, who was outside with another group in solidarity with the Red Rose Rescuers.

“There was one young woman who didn’t go through with an abortion,” Hart said. “Her mother was insisting she go into the clinic and she was angry, but you could tell the (pregnant) woman did not want to go through with this.”

Hart gave the woman the number of an attorney to call and also gave her information to get help. She even offered to take the woman to her home. The other baby in the womb was saved, according to Hart, because the mother had a change of heart and decided not to enter the facility.

This was the 14th Red Rose Rescue to take place at abortion facilities across the United States since 2017 and the third to take place in New Jersey. Other rescues had taken place in Trenton and Montclair.

“The Red Rose Rescue is an act of charity for women who feel for whatever reason they must have their innocent unborn children killed,” said Hart. “Those who took part were willing to embrace risks for these women and their babies.”

At the scene Saturday, 10 police cars were dispatched and the four pro-lifers were arrested and taken to the police station. All were eventually released by the Morristown police.

This was his eighth rescue in which Goodman, who is from Madison, Wis., took part in. He has been involved for decades with pro-life work. “We are called to give and not count the cost,” he said. “This mission is still worthwhile, even if no one accepts a rose or our help. It’s still a place to be present where lives are lost. We’re in a position to do a last act of love for those babies, who are being killed.”

Even during his arrest, Goodman found it to be an evangelization moment with the police officers, noting their professionalism and understanding the cause. While he was getting fingerprinted, he told the officer, “Babies have their fingerprints and footprints fully developed while in the womb.”

The rescue effort was peaceful as pro-lifers inside the abortion clinics simply “went limp” and did not resist as they were arrested. They chose to risk arrest to remain in the facility as an act of solidarity with the unborn children.

Most arrests involving Red Rose Rescues are usually for trespassing but Goodman doesn’t think it is trespassing at all. “An example of trespassing is when it’s a hot summer day and someone walks past a swimming pool behind a fence and there’s a sign that says ‘no trespassing’ and you walk in to use the pool. But what if there is a child screaming for help behind that fence because they are drowning? A person would go in, despite the sign, and save them. That’s how we see our work. We’re saving the babies from abortion behind the closed doors.”

The Red Rose Rescue is modeled after Mary Wagner, a Canadian pro-life activist, who repeatedly entered Toronto abortion centers and offered red roses to mothers waiting to have their children aborted.

“These are loving and holy people. They are not rebels,” said Hart. “They aren’t looking to feed their egos or bring attention to themselves. They hope to bring attention to their cause so that one day abortion will be stopped. They will continue to make great sacrifices in the hope that one day the killing of innocent life will end.”