New Mexico man charged with attempting to ram car into pro-life activist
A man has been charged with attempting to use his car to hit a pro-life activist who was outside a New Mexico abortion clinic.
Last month, an individual identified as Derek Moore allegedly attempted to strike Abortion Free New Mexico leader Henry "Bud" Shaver while he was protesting outside the Whole Woman’s Abortion Facility in Albuquerque.
According to the pro-life group Operation Rescue, after the alleged swipe at Shaver with his vehicle, Moore got out of his car and took one of Shaver’s signs away from him.
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“We are glad that Shaver, a long-time friend of Operation Rescue, survived the threat and followed through with filing charges against this individual,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in a recent statement.
“It appears that this was not the first time he has threatened pro-lifers who are peacefully and respectfully offering hopeful solutions to abortion vulnerable women and girls.”
An Albuquerque Police Department report filed on Aug. 15 and posted online by Operation Rescue notes that Moore “swerved towards” Shaver, “then back into the roadway.” Shaver told police that other pro-life activists “had similar encounters with an individual with a similar description that matched Derek Moore.”
For his part, according to the police report, Moore claimed that he “got distracted and accidentally” got too close to the curb before he “swerved back into his lane.”
“Derek stated he saw someone … obstructing the sidewalk with a bunch of garbage, so he parked his car,” continued the police report, with Moore claiming that Shaver was engaging in an “illegal protest and obstructing the sidewalk.”
Moore was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and larceny “miscellaneous under $250.”
The Christian Post reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department this week, with a spokesperson confirming the authenticity of the police report posted by Operation Rescue. Additional information on the possible arrest of Moore is pending.
Although the state of New Mexico effectively allows for elective abortion throughout a pregnancy, many local municipalities have banned the procedure, citing federal law.
Last December, the New Mexico Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case surrounding whether the state government can stop multiple localities from banning abortions.
