Letter to the Editor: Anti-Abortion Trespassers Should be Give the Maximum Sentence

To the Editor:
The right to abortion isn’t just under attack... the women in our local community are being threatened. Christopher Moscinski, Matthew Connelly, and William Goodman were found guilty of criminal trespass after invading All Women’s Health & Medical Services on November 27, 2021. They must be given the maximum sentence allowed by law— three months in jail and a $500 fine.

This is far from a rare occurrence. The three perpetrators belong to anti-abortion extremist group Red Rose Rescue, which repeatedly ignores state and local trespassing laws, as well as the privacy of patients. The group is proud of the terror their members inflict on anyone seeking reproductive health care— they videotape their attacks and brag about the harm they cause through online religious newspapers. This attack is no different. The three invaded the health care center and refused to leave, harassing and intimidating both patients and staff.

Red Rose Rescue continues to wreak havoc on health care centers because its members are rarely ever sentenced for their repeated crimes. Letting these men go wastes taxpayer money and time for the legal system and police department. These men cannot get away with a simple slap on the wrist. We want to see our money spent right, and the justice system serving sentences that fit these crimes. This group makes a mockery out of the justice system, wasting resources and continuing their heinous crimes with no intervention from our local law enforcement.

It’s not much to ask our local law enforcement to protect our reproductive rights and simply stop the harassment inflicted on those who seek health care. We cannot live comfortably with the fact that we’re in a democratically controlled state and county. Abortion will be legal in New York even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, but that does not mean access to health care will be easy. We need to acknowledge that there are anti-abortion groups in our community and they are very dangerous. By not giving the three guilty perpetrators a proper sentence local law enforcement would be condoning their despicable actions. The maximum sentence will not only act as a lesson to Christopher Moscinski, Matthew Connelly, and William Goodman, but to Red Rose Rescue as a whole, that their unlawful actions will have consequences.

Sincerely,
Olivia Halligan, Scarsdale Resident