Back to my home page
Back to my prolife page
Back to my Joan Bell page
send me e-mail.
Last updated: 19 Jan 97
The Honorable Raymond Novak
323 Courthouse
436 Grant. St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2499Your Honor,
I write this letter on behalf of Joan Andrews Bell, who is scheduled to appear before you on Jan. 15th.
I plead for your mercy when sentencing Mrs. Bell.
I have been told that you are contemplating giving Joan an "open-ended" sentence for the contempt of court charge--knowing Mrs. Bell only through my readings, I cannot say for certain, but I am positive that such a judgment by yourself would amount to a virtual life sentence for this woman. Your requirement that she give up her non-violent pro-life "rescue" activities presents Mrs. Bell with an impossible dilemma. Joan is dedicated to saving the lives of unborn children, and she sees "rescue" as a viable means of achieving that goal.
Morally, she stands on firm ground--"rescuing" is a Christ-centered, love-inspired activity which advocates positive, non-violent activism on the part of each individual, with the ultimate goal of trying to give the woman who "chooses" to abort a chance to reconsider something which will affect her for the rest of her life. Like other "rescuers," Joan is willing to use all non-violent means to achieve this goal, including sacrificing herself by submitting to legal authorities such as yourself.
I realize that it is incumbent upon you as a public official to work for the common good, to protect those in your jurisdiction. Yet Mrs. Bell does not represent a threat to the public at large, nor is she a threat to those directly or indirectly involved in the activities which she protests against. As a non-violent protester, she is perfectly within her Constitutional rights to speak out against something she feels is so inherently unjust. Like all pro-lifers, she speaks for those who have no voice--unborn children. Although her protests may not be heard in this world, you can be sure they are heard loud and clear in the Next.
Your Honor, you have an opportunity to extend to Mrs. Bell a measure of your mercy--if not for her, do it because as a Christian, you wish to follow Christ's maxim "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy"; if not for Christ, do it for her family, who will surely suffer just as much as Joan; if not for the family, do it for the hundreds of thousands of voters in your jurisdiction who will surely remember your mercy come next election.
As you can see from the copies list, I intend to distribute this letter far and wide. I firmly believe Joan Andrews Bell, like her compatriots, has been called upon by God to help stop the slaughter of innocent children through the evil of abortion. I intend to assist her by writing as many letters as I can to call public attention to her case.
Respectfully,
Jack R. Voltz
Back to my home page
Back to my prolife page
Back to my Joan Bell page
send me e-mail.