Joe Scheidler, 'godfather' of pro-life activism, dead at 93 (National Catholic Register)

Joe Scheidler, the founder of the Pro-Life Action League, died on January 18 of pneumonia at the age of 93. An imposing presence, Scheidler inspired a generation of pro-life activists with his confrontational tactics and his determination to close abortion clinics. He was the principal named defendant in a racketeering lawsuit brought by the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1986; the suit, which threatened to bankrupt Scheidler and his co-defendants, lingered through the courts for years, and accounted for three hearings before the Supreme Court, before it was finally dismissed and NOW was required to pay the defendants’ court costs.