VANCOUVER, BC, June 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Last Friday, three people were arrest
Pro-Lifer being arrested at Notre Dame. Image by Getty Images via Daylifeed outside of the Everywoman’s Health Clinic (an abortion facility) in East Vancouver.
All the detainees were released shortly after 1 pm Saturday. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for July 3rd at 2 pm.
David Spratt and Sissy von Dehn were arrested while protesting the bubble zone legislation that prevents pro-life counselling or protesting within 50 meters of an abortion facility.
A third, John Hetherington, a filmmaker, was also arrested, but released shortly thereafter without being charged.
Spratt was protesting the bubble zone because his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada against a lower court ruling affirming the bubble zone was just dismissed. 72-year-old von Dehn is a representative of Nurses for Life.
Von Dehn commented how surprised she was that she had been arrested at all. “Police assured me on two occasions that carrying these same Bubble Zone notice signs was within our rights and in no infringed on the Bubble Zone legislation. It was quite a shock to be hauled off to jail for notifying passersby of a BC law.”
John Hof, from Campaign Life Coalition and eyewitness to the arrest, told the B.C. Catholic that the pair’s protest on Friday was no different than the activities they undertake every Friday, and which they had been told by police was legal.
“We’ve been informing people of the Bubble Zone legislation for weeks under police watch, and subsequent approval,” Hof said.
