Pro-life group names woman shot for anti-abortion activism 'person of the year'
An activist shot while campaigning against a Michigan proposal that would make abortion a state constitutional right has been named “Person of the Year” by a pro-life group.
The Society of St. Sebastian announced Monday that it was bestowing its Person of the Year award to Joan Jacobson, an 84-year-old pro-life activist and volunteer with Right to Life of Michigan.
The society explained that Jacobson “has shown a commitment to the Culture of Life few have ever faced before,” noting how she was shot while canvassing against the pro-abortion amendment.
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“During her time canvassing and speaking with people about the ballot initiative, she went to speak with the people at a property who were not pro-life. Sadly, they were so enmeshed within the culture of death that they not only took offense to her message of Life but also shot her,” the group stated.
The society went on to say that “it is becoming more commonplace to see violence perpetrated against pro-life people and pro-life offices” since Roe v. Wade was overturned back in June.
In September, Jacobson was knocking on doors around Lake Odessa as part of the effort to stop Michigan’s Proposal 3 from passing. In November, Michigan voters passed the measure.
Jacobson visited the home of 74-year-old Richard Harvey, whose wife got into an argument with Jacobson over the referendum while he was in a barn on his property.
After Jacobson was reportedly asked to leave the property multiple times, Harvey eventually grabbed his .22-caliber rifle and shot Jacobson. He turned himself in to authorities soon after.
Harvey was arraigned in Ionia County District Court and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless use of a firearm and careless discharge causing injury.
He was given a $10,000 bond and ordered not to make contact with Jacobson or her family. Additionally, he was not allowed to possess a firearm once he made bond.
For his part, Harvey claimed that he hit Jacobson by accident, having intended to knock Jacobson’s clipboard out of her hand, as he viewed it as being used in a threatening manner against his wife.
The prosecution disputes the claims of self-defense, arguing that while Jacobson did get into a heated disagreement with Harvey’s wife, she never became violent or threatening.
David Kallman, attorney for Jacobson, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that the elderly volunteer was a "sweet, soft-spoken lady" and that firing a warning shot at her made "no sense at all."
"Why are you firing a warning shot at an 84-year-old, 5-foot, 100-pound grandmother-kind-of person who's just walking away and leaving your property?" asked Kallman.
