What do you think?
Rate this book
I Will Never Forget You: The Rescue Movement in the Life of Joan Andrews
Book by Andrews, Joan, Cavanaugh-O'Keefe, John
253 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1989
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 24, 2024
ONE OF THE HEROINES OF THE “RESCUE” MOVEMENT TELLS HER STORY
Joan Andrews (now Joan Andrews Bell, born in 1948; she married in 1991 at the age of 43, and had a daughter, then adopted a son) was arrested many times for her nonviolent but activist protests against abortion (e.g., sit-ins); she was imprisoned in a Florida prison for more than two years, but insists she did nothing wrong. She and her husband now run the Good Counsel Homes for unwed mothers. She also wrote 'You Reject Them, You Reject Me: The Prison Letters of Joan Andrews.'
She wrote (with her co-author) in this 1989 book, "we started picketing the hospital... We put up flyers about help for women facing unplanned pregnancies (unplanned by them, of course---from God's perspective, no pregnancy is unplanned and no child is unwanted)." (Pg. 31)
She argues, "If you see a child drowning in a swimming pool, but the pool is surrounded by stern warnings against trespass, you can ignore those signs to save the child. And you do not have to be afraid that you will be arrested for trespass… that is called the ‘necessity statute.’ Sure, you broke the letter of some statute, but it was necessary to do so to protect a higher good, to save a life. The question at an abortion mill is whether there is such an emergency as a drowning child. The abortionist does not think there is an emergency, but he is not the one who is on trial.” (Pg. 51-52)
She states, “There were other people who did some rescues and then, when we got a maternity home, said, ‘That’s the way we should go, maternity homes all over the country. No one will kill a baby out of desperation because they don’t have a place to stay! We don’t have to do rescues!” It was mind boggling to me when I saw people taking that stance. Of course, we have to provide support for pregnant women, but that is not the heart of the issue. People kill babies for lots of reasons. Very few do so because they don’t have a place to stay…
"When people say, ‘No, thank you, I’m going to kill my baby anyway,’ we still have to rescue them and their babies… Despite all our successes, the rescue movement died. I do not understand how this happened… In Bridgeton, the judge was allowing us to do it without penalty. But almost everybody gave up. I just don’t understand how that happened.” (Pg. 63-64)
She asserts, “It is one thing to decide ahead of time that you will resist the killing only by an appeal to the heart of each participant, beginning with the child’s mother and ending with the police. I do not have any problem with people going limp, is that is their decision. But to decide that you will make every effort short of physical attack on another person … and then to give up out of false kindness to the police---that is just wrong.” (Pg. 107)
She points out, “It always amazes me that the abortionists get away with portraying themselves as progressives or liberals. I have never heard anyone associated with Planned Parenthood apologize for the open racism of their founder, Margaret Sanger. She wanted to segregate and sterilize ‘subhumans.’ She talked about strategies for keeping ‘rebellious’ blacks in line. She was disgusted with charity programs that made life easier for people who, she thought, would be better off dead.” (Pg. 164-165)
She observes, “It is hard to understand the extent of Catholic involvement in abortion. But when we go into court and get a Catholic judge, usually we expect the worst. The judge will probably lean over backward to prove that his legal decisions are not influenced by his ‘sectarian beliefs.’ To prove it, he will nail us… In the sentence, abortion is the issue again, and… the judges express their strongly held views by locking us up for as long as they can. With Catholic judges, we are tried for trespass, but we get sentenced for treason, bigotry, abusing women, everything.” (Pg. 174)
She admits, “My work is saving babies. People say of that that I am a professional trespasser or a professional protester. There is some truth in it. In spite of the scorn, the truth is that rescuing babies is my work. And it is a source of dignity. I miss my work when I cannot do it.” (Pg. 220)
Mrs. Andrews Bell has taken a much “quieter” role in more recent years (although she has participated in some protests); but this book (written shortly after her release from prison) is an excellent portrait of her, and her ideals, and should be considered “must reading” for anyone wanting to understand her.
Joan Andrews (now Joan Andrews Bell, born in 1948; she married in 1991 at the age of 43, and had a daughter, then adopted a son) was arrested many times for her nonviolent but activist protests against abortion (e.g., sit-ins); she was imprisoned in a Florida prison for more than two years, but insists she did nothing wrong. She and her husband now run the Good Counsel Homes for unwed mothers. She also wrote 'You Reject Them, You Reject Me: The Prison Letters of Joan Andrews.'
She wrote (with her co-author) in this 1989 book, "we started picketing the hospital... We put up flyers about help for women facing unplanned pregnancies (unplanned by them, of course---from God's perspective, no pregnancy is unplanned and no child is unwanted)." (Pg. 31)
She argues, "If you see a child drowning in a swimming pool, but the pool is surrounded by stern warnings against trespass, you can ignore those signs to save the child. And you do not have to be afraid that you will be arrested for trespass… that is called the ‘necessity statute.’ Sure, you broke the letter of some statute, but it was necessary to do so to protect a higher good, to save a life. The question at an abortion mill is whether there is such an emergency as a drowning child. The abortionist does not think there is an emergency, but he is not the one who is on trial.” (Pg. 51-52)
She states, “There were other people who did some rescues and then, when we got a maternity home, said, ‘That’s the way we should go, maternity homes all over the country. No one will kill a baby out of desperation because they don’t have a place to stay! We don’t have to do rescues!” It was mind boggling to me when I saw people taking that stance. Of course, we have to provide support for pregnant women, but that is not the heart of the issue. People kill babies for lots of reasons. Very few do so because they don’t have a place to stay…
"When people say, ‘No, thank you, I’m going to kill my baby anyway,’ we still have to rescue them and their babies… Despite all our successes, the rescue movement died. I do not understand how this happened… In Bridgeton, the judge was allowing us to do it without penalty. But almost everybody gave up. I just don’t understand how that happened.” (Pg. 63-64)
She asserts, “It is one thing to decide ahead of time that you will resist the killing only by an appeal to the heart of each participant, beginning with the child’s mother and ending with the police. I do not have any problem with people going limp, is that is their decision. But to decide that you will make every effort short of physical attack on another person … and then to give up out of false kindness to the police---that is just wrong.” (Pg. 107)
She points out, “It always amazes me that the abortionists get away with portraying themselves as progressives or liberals. I have never heard anyone associated with Planned Parenthood apologize for the open racism of their founder, Margaret Sanger. She wanted to segregate and sterilize ‘subhumans.’ She talked about strategies for keeping ‘rebellious’ blacks in line. She was disgusted with charity programs that made life easier for people who, she thought, would be better off dead.” (Pg. 164-165)
She observes, “It is hard to understand the extent of Catholic involvement in abortion. But when we go into court and get a Catholic judge, usually we expect the worst. The judge will probably lean over backward to prove that his legal decisions are not influenced by his ‘sectarian beliefs.’ To prove it, he will nail us… In the sentence, abortion is the issue again, and… the judges express their strongly held views by locking us up for as long as they can. With Catholic judges, we are tried for trespass, but we get sentenced for treason, bigotry, abusing women, everything.” (Pg. 174)
She admits, “My work is saving babies. People say of that that I am a professional trespasser or a professional protester. There is some truth in it. In spite of the scorn, the truth is that rescuing babies is my work. And it is a source of dignity. I miss my work when I cannot do it.” (Pg. 220)
Mrs. Andrews Bell has taken a much “quieter” role in more recent years (although she has participated in some protests); but this book (written shortly after her release from prison) is an excellent portrait of her, and her ideals, and should be considered “must reading” for anyone wanting to understand her.
Displaying 1 of 1 review