In yet another instance of Christians being arrested for allegedly violating social distancing ordinances while ministering near abortion clinics, conservative Christian author David Benham was arrested while peacefully standing with other pro-life counselors outside a facility.
Benham released footage of the arrests in a pair of tweets on Sunday.
David maintained social distancing while exercising all necessary precautions in light of COVID-19.
This video has the full story.
Thank you for your continued support as we fight for life! pic.twitter.com/QrXbj9k27Z— Benham Brothers (@BenhamBrothers) April 5, 2020
Benham maintained that he and the small group with which he offered essential services to abortion-minded mothers were strictly following social distancing guidelines, but that Charlotte, North Carolina police selectively enforced the state’s COVID-19-related stay-at-home order to arrest him.
In the video, Benham suggests that the officers instead visit the nearby public park where larger groups of people were gathered to socialize and play sports, a claim corroborated by one of Benham’s Twitter followers.
This is ridiculous! @CMPD Go to Romane Bearden Park and look at people playing volleyball, playing soccer. There are a lot of people you will need to arrest if it’s okay to arrest people on the street. I support those in blue but this overboard.
— April Monroe (@AprilMo92403368) April 5, 2020
“My boys and I went to support the awesome sidewalk counselors who work with our non-profit, Cities for Life,” he tweeted. “We offer life-affirming services for at-risk mothers. It’s been an absolute privilege serving over 5,000 vulnerable mothers who felt abortion was their only choice!”
My boys and I went to support the awesome sidewalk counselors who work with our non- profit, Cities for Life.
We offer life-affirming services for at-risk mothers. It’s been an absolute privilege serving over 5,000 vulnerable mothers who felt abortion was their only choice!— Benham Brothers (@BenhamBrothers) April 4, 2020
He added, “We support taking every precaution during COVID-19. This is why we maintained our social distance and stayed under 10 in number. We were not belligerent… We simply stood our ground. MLK once said, ‘A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right.’”
We support taking every precaution during COVID-19. This is why we maintained our social distance and stayed under 10 in number.
We were not belligerent… We simply stood our ground.MLK once said, “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right."
— Benham Brothers (@BenhamBrothers) April 4, 2020
“This is selective enforcement of the law,” Benham said in an interview with The Daily Wire. “You are coming after us because we’re standing in front of an abortion clinic … I am not going to let the government have unlimited power and use this crisis to their advantage.”
Speaking with the officers, Benham stated that his federally-recognized public charity, Cities For Life, is considered an essential service.
Benham called a report published on WBTV claiming that eight people were arrested for participating in a “mass gathering protest” fake news.
“The sidewalk counselors stayed over 6’ apart and there were less than five of them. Yet this officer selectively enforced the law, even though Cities4Life had less than 10 people,” he said in a tweet.
“My friend David Benham was unconstitutionally arrested today in NC for peacefully providing pregnancy counseling outside an abortion clinic,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a tweet. “If NC deems abortion ‘essential,’ then pregnancy care services are as well. This is WRONG; Governor Cooper should be ashamed.”
WATCH: My friend David Benham was unconstitutionally arrested today in NC for peacefully providing pregnancy counseling outside an abortion clinic. If NC deems abortion “essential,” then pregnancy care services are as well. This is WRONG; Governor Cooper should be ashamed. 1/x https://t.co/eiNGJox2UR
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 4, 2020
In another tweet, Cruz said that Benham was exercising his First Amendment rights in a peaceful manner, accusing North Carolina’s pro-abortion Democrats of “abusing their power—in a one-sided way—to silence pregnancy counselors.”
“Have you ever seen an arrest like this?” Cruz said. “Peaceful. Respectful. Thanking the police officers. Elected Dems are abusing their power for political agenda & face civil liability under 42 USC 1983.”
Benham’s arrest comes shortly after another small group of Christians was arrested and charged with violating a stay-at-home order while peacefully praying and maintaining social distance outside an abortion clinic in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Folks, we know for certain that abortion has claimed more lives than coronavirus ever will. As several states across the nation have deemed abortion an “essential” healthcare service that must continue while many other procedures are postponed, we can be certain that countless babies will be slaughtered in the womb amid this pandemic.
We should not be downplaying the loss of life from this virulent illness, but should we cower in our homes while the holocaust of abortion continues unabated? Or should we lawfully stand firm and stand for life?
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