The Lambs of Christ

The Lambs of Christ, also known as Victim Souls of the Unborn Christ-Child, is a Christian anti-abortion organization in the United States. It was founded by Norman Weslin in 1988.[1]

In 1992, Time described the group as "the most zealous and aggressive of the pro-life organizations" in wanting to shut down abortion clinics, using tactics like blockades and chaining themselves to objects so they would be difficult to remove.[1] Weslin described the approach as buying time, saying, "The longer it takes to cut us out of our locks, the longer the killing machines are off."[1] Another anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, did not officially support the blockades, but would refer interested people to the Lambs.[2]

In 1998, James Charles Kopp, a member of the organization, murdered abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian.[3] Kopp had previously protested with the Lambs outside of Slepian's clinic in 1993.[2]

In 2009, Weslin was arrested during anti-abortion protests at Notre Dame when then-President Barack Obama was giving the commencement address.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "The Shouting of the Lambs". Time. May 4, 1992. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Samuels, David (March 21, 1999). "The Making of a Fugitive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Risen, James (July 11, 2022). "Anti-Abortion Zealots Were Precursor to Donald Trump's Right-Wing Shock Troops". The Intercept. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Joyce, Kathryn (June 6, 2012). "Violence of the Lambs: The Legacy of Anti-Choice Extremist Father Norman Weslin". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved March 4, 2023.