Rev. Flip Benham, convicted Monday of stalking N.C. doctors who perform abortions, says he's being wrongly targeted and that authorities are attempting to silence him from spreading the word of the gospel.
The director of Operation Save America called the Mecklenburg court verdict "bogus," a violation of free speech, and said it would not stop him from protesting at abortion clinics.
Benham was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to stay 300 feet away from the clinics and 1,000 feet from at least one doctor's home after being accused of distributing hundreds of "Wanted" posters with the doctors' names and photos.
"Wanted," the poster reads in big read letters, "By Christ, to Stop Killing Babies."
Prosecutors contended the posters could lead anti-abortion activists to kill the doctors. WSOC-TV reported that one doctor testified that he felt the poster was a "call for my murder." The doctor said he was often on his hands and knees checking underneath his car for bombs and watching rooftops searching for people who may try to shoot him.
Other doctors have been murdered after similar posters were distributed in other states.
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