A pro-life counselor standing peacefully outside of an abortion facility was physically attacked by one of the facility’s escorts – yet instead of the perpetrator being arrested, the victim of the violent attack was arrested instead.
John Ryan was attacked outside the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, after verbally offering to help a woman get help instead of getting an abortion. In response, an escort screamed at him and began hitting him with her umbrella.
“I witnessed the altercation, and John was physically prevented from engaging in a conversation with another by the escort, and later arrested for refusing to be stopped by the escort’s umbrella,” Laura Tellier, who was there and witnessed the assault, told Operation Rescue. Tellier said the escort hit Ryan so hard that she damaged the umbrella, saying, “She broke it by pushing it against him.”
Police were called, but instead of arresting the escort, Ryan was arrested. Operation Rescue obtained police documents indicating Ryan’s arrest was for charges of “battery/makes physical contact,” while another document indicated “battery (insulting or provoking nature),” though Ryan did not strike the escort at any time.
“Apparently, it is ok for an abortion clinic worker to shove an umbrella into someone so aggressively that it breaks,” Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a statement. “And the victim of this abusive behavior is arrested instead of the guilty party.”
Ryan has previously had problems with pro-abortion activists, who accused him of stalking, though body camera footage proved that claim was false. A staffer for the abortion facility was able to get a temporary restraining order, claiming:
John Ryan agressively [sic] pursued me yelling insults as he began his pursiut [sic]. As I tried to unlock the door he stood within inches of me while yelling and attempted to stop me from opening the door…The respondent stood in the doorway with me until I was able to slam it from the other side. Once inside the garage the respondent banged on the door and contiuned [sic] to yell obscenities about my pregnancy, threaten my unborn child, religions [sic] slurs & employment status.
All of these events are recorded on surveillence [sic] cameras. I have the recording and angles of the events/harassment on my phone and a security camera record. Survelience [sic] shows the pursuit and doorway interaction.
This, however, was a lie, and Ryan’s footage proved it, causing the restraining order petition to be dismissed. He was also accused by a Planned Parenthood employee of making “terroristic threats,” though a jury acquitted him of all charges. He has also been held at gunpoint outside the Hope Clinic for Women, by the male companion of a woman seeking an abortion.
Hope Clinic for Women, meanwhile, is known for injuring women, with at least 15 emergency transfers in 2023 alone. The facility also asked to be exempted from Illinois health standards for ambulatory surgical centers, but were denied.
