Red Rose Rescue gets thorny welcome from Attorney General Letitia James

July 27, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

NY Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: Hans Penink/AP.

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Attorney General Letitia James filed a motion on Wednesday for a preliminary injunction against Red Rose Rescue, an anti-abortion group she accuses of repeatedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) and New York State Clinic Access Act.

The motion comes in the wake of a lawsuit James filed last month against the group. It seeks to establish a 30-foot barrier around all reproductive health care facilities in New York, barring members of Red Rose Rescue from entering.

“Red Rose Rescue continues to threaten reproductive health care providers and the patients they serve in New York and nationwide,” said Attorney General James.

“Every person has the right to access reproductive health care clinics without obstruction or interruption,” said James. “New Yorkers have my word: I will always take action to defend your right to make your own choices about your own bodies.”

Over the past two years, Red Rose Rescue has been cited for interrupting services at three reproductive health care clinics across New York State. These disruptions, Attorney General James alleges, have caused multiple patients to miss or delay their appointments. The group’s methods reportedly involve members trespassing into private medical facilities and clinics, refusing to leave until physically removed by law enforcement.

Red Rose Rescue members Christopher “Fidelis” Moscinski, Matthew Connolly, William Goodman, Laura Gies, and John Hinshaw have all been identified in the motion. The individuals have multiple convictions both in New York and nationally, but continue to trespass at abortion clinics and obstruct access to services in an effort to prevent the facilities from operating.

In light of the ongoing disruptions, Attorney General James is calling for preventative measures to ensure the provision of health care services is not impeded. Her motion for a preliminary injunction aims to prohibit Red Rose Rescue and its associates from knowingly coming within 30 feet of any New York facility providing reproductive health care.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Attorney General James has also established a pro bono legal hotline to offer support to patients and health care providers nationwide. The hotline offers free legal information and resources about accessing abortion services.