WATCH: Pro-Life Rally Against Bullying Outside Philadelphia Planned Parenthood
Updated: Dr. Monique Ruberu, a pro-life OBGYN, tells The Stream how she leads Sidewalk Servants volunteers to lovingly offer options. All the women bullied in Rep. Sims' videos volunteer under her leadership.
Pro-life leaders gathered in the public right of way near the Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia for a “Rally Against Bullying” on Friday morning.
Live Action live streamed the rally, which started at 11 a.m. EST, from its Facebook page.
More than 1000 people showed up for the rally, Live Action reported. Here’s one image of the crowd:
A few days ago @BrianSimsPA a Democrat rep in Philly verbally harassed an elderly woman praying the Rosary on a sidewalk by @PPFA and doxxed teenagers for doing the same on @periscope. Today we stand up to bullying with @AbbyJohnson #FreeSpeech #NotOk #ResignBrianSims pic.twitter.com/Unm9F4LYuH
— Martha Byrne (@MarthaByrne10) May 10, 2019
Speakers included:
- Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action
- Dr. Monique Ruberu, a board-certified, pro-life OB-GYN; leader of 40 Days for Life vigil in Philadelphia; leader of Sidewalk Servants Philly
- Richara Krajewski, board member of the Pro Life Union of Philadelphia
- Ashley Garecht, who Sims filmed and harassed along with her daughters and their friend
- Tina Whittington, Executive Vice-President of Students for Life
- Matt Walsh, host of Matt Walsh Show, writer for The Daily Wire
- Marilyn Musgrave, vice president of government affairs at Susan B. Anthony List, former congresswoman
- Toni McFadden, speaker on post-abortive healing, founder of Relationships Matter
- Abby Johnson, founder of And Then There Were None, subject of the Unplanned movie
- Lauren Muzyka, executive director of Sidewalk Advocates for Life, licensed attorney
The Bullying Behavior of Brian Sims
The rally is a response to Brian Sims’ videos of himself bullying pro-life women outside this Planned Parenthood facility. Sims is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
In one of Sims’ videos, for over 8 minutes he follows and tries to film a woman’s face while repeatedly calling her an “old white woman.” “Shame on you. What you’re doing here is disgusting,” he says to her and continues to berate her.
In an older video, Sims confronts a mother and three teenage girls. They are leaving the Planned Parenthood after praying during a 40 Days for Life vigil. “A bunch of pseudo-Christian protesters who have been out here shaming young girls for being here,” Sims says. He offers to donate $100 to Planned Parenthood for any viewer who can expose the identities of the teens.
.@BrianSimsPA, you must resign from public office.
Your actions are a disgrace to Pennslyvania & our great nation.
Sign the petition ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/GTBo8pluIB #ResignBrianSims pic.twitter.com/X3wZBDs6Ze
— Live Action (@LiveAction) May 8, 2019
In a third video posted May 7, Sims said “two wrongs don’t make a right” and that he’d “do better.” He explained that he’s lived near the Planned Parenthood for 15 years and volunteered as a patient escort for seven years, and seen first-hand “the insults, the slurs, the attacks and the racism that those protesters aim at mostly young girls.”
What’s Really Happening on the Sidewalk: OB-GYN Offers Alternative Options
Dr. Monique Ruberu, a pro-life OBGYN, is the leader of the local 40 Days for Life vigil that occurs twice a year. She’s also the leader of Sidewalk Servant Philly. This organization of Christians prays and offers resources on a near-daily basis to people entering and exiting the two abortion facilities in Philadelphia. Dr. Ruberu told The Stream that the women and teens in both the videos were volunteering under her leadership.
Dr. Ruberu said she and her volunteers “expect to be persecuted” by hecklers. She said they experience regular bullying from Sims when he is volunteering as a patient escort for Planned Parenthood. She instructs her volunteers to pray, be loving and ask people entering or exiting the abortion facility if they can provide help or have a few minutes to talk. She also instructs her volunteers to simply tell hecklers they are there to pray for the babies and the moms and not engage in argument.
Dr. Ruberu said her volunteers can offer help and support to empower women so they don’t have to feel that abortion is their only option. She mentioned financial help, a crisis pregnancy home to stay in, help getting out of an abusive relationship and a second opinion from another doctor.
Dr. Ruberu explained that as an OB-GYN, she’s met many women who “desperately regret their choice” to have an abortion. When she’s asked them why they made that choice at that time, the responses have been, “I didn’t have community. I didn’t have anyone to stand with me. I didn’t have a place to stay. I didn’t have the money. My boyfriend told me he would leave me. My parents said they’d kick me out. The doctor told me to do it.”
“We want these people to know that they have another alternative,” Dr. Ruberu said. “That there are people who are willing to step in and fill those voids. That as a community we can support them and help them.” She continued:
There are way to many women who are being told that they’re not good enough, that they’re not strong enough, that they can’t do this, but it’s so untrue. We believe that every single person is created for a purpose, and that every single person has value, and that every single person deserves the chance to live. So we want to help them, in any way we can, to allow them to make that choice. That’s what we’re all about.
