Randall Terry

Randall Terry (born 1959) is a controversial conservative religious extremist in the United States. Most recently, he was the official spokesperson for the Schindler family in the Terri Schiavo case. He is the founder of the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, and has actively advocated against not only abortion, but also homosexuality, extra-marital sex and single motherhood.

Terry was first arrested in 1986 for chaining himself to a sink at an abortion clinic. He was subsequently sentenced to five months in prison for arranging to have a dead fetus delivered to then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

Terry was named as a co-defendant in the 1994 Supreme Court case, NOW v. Scheidler, which seeked to apply the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against the Pro Life Action Network (PLAN). In NOW v. Scheidler, the National Organization for Women alleged that PLAN conspired to use the threat of or actual force, violence and fear against abortion clinics in order to prevent patients from using abortion clinic services. The decision of the court was that RICO is applicable even there is no economic motive for racketeering, which allowed anti-abortion activists to be convicted under the law. However, the court made no decision pertaining specifically to the allegations put forth by NOW.

Terry settled out of court with the National Organization for Women in a 1998 lawsuit, under RICO, seeking to force anti-abortion leaders to pay for damages in attacks on abortion clinics. Terry promptly filed bankruptcy, prompting Senator Charles Schumer to propose an amendment to a bankruptcy bill in Congress which would "specifically ... prevent abortion opponents from using the bankruptcy code to escape paying court fines." The amendment was not included in the final bill after meeting with resistance from House Republicans.

According to a Washington Post report, Terry was censured in 2000 by the Landmark Church of Binghamton, New York, where he had been a member for 15 years, for a "pattern of repeated and sinful relationships and conversations with both single and married women." Terry, an evangelical Christian, denies the allegations.

In 2003, Terry was soliciting non-tax-deductible donations on his web site. He later put a down payment on a $432,000 home in Ponte Vedra Beach. Terry explained that he and his family needed a place to be safe and to entertain "people of stature, people of importance. I have a lot of important people that come through my home. And I will have more important people come through my home." The same month, a New York State court found that Terry was not paying a "fair share of child support" to his first wife, whom he divorced. In an affidavit submitted to the court earlier in the month, Terry claimed that he was three months behind on his rent and had been selling items to live.

After the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck a Texas law against homosexual sodomy as violative of constitutionally protected liberty, Terry advocated for the impeachment of the six justices who voted to strike the state law.

In 2005, Terry served as family spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler during their legal battles over their daughter Terri Schiavo.

His adopted son came out as a homosexual and wrote an article for Out Magazine; Terry claimed the article contained significant inaccuracies. Both of Terry's adopted daughters became pregnant outside of marriage, which effectively ended their relationship with their father; one later became a Muslim.

Quotes

"I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good...Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism."

— Randall Terry as quoted at an anti-abortion rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana by the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, August 16, 1993.

External links

• Official site (http://www.randallterry.com/)
• Who is Randall Terry? (http://mediamatters.org/items/200503220001) (summarizes Washington Post, other articles)
• http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2005/03/21.html