Seventeen Pro-Life Activists Arrested At Memphis Planned Parenthood Rescue

On Friday morning, December 5 2025, a clinic rescue took place at the Planned Parenthood of Memphis, TN.  It was spearheaded by Rescue Resurrection.  Rescue Resurrection was founded by Randal Terry with the express purpose of reviving the pro-life rescue movement.  Once a vital tactic until the 1990s, rescues were largely stymied by the FACE act.  Now this act has been de-fanged, since President Trump ordered the Department of Justice not to prosecute under FACE. The possibilities of rescues have opened up once again.  The website is rescueresurrection.com.

Joan Andrews Bell Arrested

Abortions in Tennessee are illegal.  The pro-aborts get around this by referring their clients out of state, and that is something that the Memphis Planned Parenthood had been doing.  That means that Planned Parenthood is trafficking minors across state lines.

As part of their inauguration, Rescue Resurrection decided to engage in a rescue there.  Memphis has great significance for the civil rights movement, for there Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated.  The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, where King was shot.  Now let’s get back to the events of December 5^th.  Another important note: much of this information is gleaned from the Facebook page of Will Goodman.  He was there, chronicling the events with words, video clips and pictures.  He is also one of the Garland Nine.

The local deathscorts, along with Memphis Police, had been alerted and were awaiting the pro-life activists.  They had, in fact, created their own blockade of the building entrances.

Rescuers in Place; Deathscorts Are Behind Them

Many activists were already gathered on the sidewalk in front of the mill, praying the Rosary and bearing Crucifixes, banners of Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc.  Soon they were joined by other pro-lifers who assumed positions in front of the deathscorts already blocking the Planned Parenthood entrance.  Randall Terry and Terrisa Bukonivac carried a banner with the name of Rescue Resurrection on it.  They were singing “we shall overcome”, reminiscent of the civil rights marches of over 60 years ago.  Joan Bell and Monica Miller were marching behind them, with many others.

Randall Terry arrested

Minutes after they had assumed their positions, Memphis Police arrived, with squad cars and paddy wagons and sirens blaring.  After some preliminary conversation between Randall Terry and the in-charge officer, the arrests started.  For the most part, the pro-lifers went limp as they were cuffed and hauled away to the paddy wagons and cruisers.  Seventeen activists were arrested.  The detainees include: Randall Terry, Terrisa Bukonivac, John Hinshaw, Joan Bell, Monica Miller, Melanie Salazar, Elise Ketch, Doc Kovaly, Nathan Berning, Cathy Ramey, Emily Mahon, James Carney, Rob Rudnick, Richard Dur, Matthew Connelly, Alan Aversz.

The men and women were taken to separate holding facilities.  As of this writing, all of the women have been released.  Arraignment will take place Monday, Dec 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conceptions.  I will advise of further developments.