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.

Joan Andrews Bell Endorses Donald Trump For President

LifeSiteNews received from Chris Bell, husband of Joan (currently serving a two-year term for her part in a rescue) a note penned by her to reassure pro-life people that it is indeed morally licit to vote for Trump.  She mentioned that a vote for any other candidate would be a vote for Harris. 

Before seeing this LifeSiteNews piece, I heard from several sources that she had authored this exhortation; I know that some have been questioning the veracity of LifeSiteNews, for what reason I cannot fathom.  However, other sources corroborate this.  I will reproduce Joan's note below, with some more commentary to follow:

Please remind our friends who are backing away from Trump to trust God. Remind them that God often chooses people who fail to trust Him! That’s why Trump appears to be a traitor. Remind them that his heart is still prolife, and that even if he is not as strong a pro-lifer as he was before that he will NEVER BE PRO-ACTIVE PRO-ABORT. NEVER! Whereas a vote for any other candidate will be a vote for Kamala Harris and the Democrats who are PRO-DEATH to the core and absolutely PRO-ACTIVE! Remind them that our forefather in the Faith, Abraham, failed to trust God too. And that is why he, under pressure from a wife who didn’t trust God either, sinned against God and had a child with the servant woman, and then in weakness, again at his wife’s bidding, sent mother and child away to almost certain death. GOD FORGIVES! He’ll use Trump again!

Tell the Pro-Life Movement: We must not over-react, but instead continue to trust God…and when Trump is in office, help him regain his footing and be faithful to God all the way! We have failed to trust God again and again. NOW WE MUST TRUST GOD and stand firm. Our prayers will be answered.

Love & Prayers,

Joan Bell

I would add to Joan's note that to abstain from voting for anyone in that race would also work in Harris' favor.  Let me elaborate.  In this race, either Trump or Harris will win.  The victor will be the one who has more votes than the other.  Thus, if some deluded #nevertrumper doesn't cast his/her vote for Trump, that is one less vote that Harris will need to obtain the White House.

In a number of posts, I have dealt with this curious mindset among too many Catholics and/or pro-life leaders.  I can only conclude that some are actually making idols of their overly-delicate consciences, falling into a form of effeminate behavior.  I pray that they have the humility to actually think soberly and realistically about the situation and cast their votes for Trump and stop trash-talking him.  We can deal with any failings after we keep Harris away from the Oval Office.