Donald Spitz
Donald Spitz is a controversial Christian anti-abortion activist in the United States. He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, and runs the website for the anti-abortion group Army of God.
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[edit] Beginnings
Donald Spitz was born in Norfolk, Virginia[citation needed]. Spitz joined the Navy at 18 and served for two years during the Vietnam conflict. [1]In the early 1980s Spitz moved to New York City where he ran a street evangelism ministry in Times Square.
Spitz was ordained by Evangelist Leander Bolhoarst, with The International Gospel Crusade, a Christian healing ministry located in New York City.[citation needed]
Spitz later[when?]moved to Chesapeake Virginia where he formed; first, Operation Rescue, Chesapeake [2] then Pro-Life Virginia. He operates the Army of God website. [1]
[edit] Controversy
Donald Spitz was friends with Paul Jennings Hill both before Hill killed Dr. John Britton and also afterwards, up to the time Hill was executed.[citation needed] Spitz was Hill's spiritual adviser during the last week of his life and was with him when he was executed.[3] Spitz posted a "Defensive Action Statement" on his Army of God website arguing that Hill should be acquitted of murder as justifiable.[4]
Spitz was ordered to appear before two separate grand juries. The grand juries were held in Alexandria and in Philadelphia during separate investigations into Paul Hill and Clayton Waagner, the man who sent hundreds of anthrax scare letters to abortion providers in 2001.[1]
After John Salvi III attacked two abortion clinics in Massachusetts, he drove to Norfolk VA where Spitz lived at the time. It was reported by the Boston Globe, at the time of his arrest in Norfolk, Salvi had Spitz's name and unlisted phone number in his possession.[5] Spitz held a prayer vigil outside Salvi's jail cell.[6] Spitz was so outspoken in defense of Salvi, he was asked not to come to Massachusetts and would be unwelcomed. [7] [8]
Spitz was ejected out of Operation Rescue. Spitz formed Operation Rescue Chesapeake, but after a year and a half, when Flip Benham took control of the national organization, Spitz was ordered to separate himself and his organization from Operation Rescue name because of his support and friendship with Paul Hill. Spitz changed the name of his organization from Operation Rescue Chesapeake to Pro-Life Virginia and continued as if nothing happened. [9]
Spitz raised controversy in 2001 when he stated that he supported anthrax letters sent by Clayton Waagner to several abortion businesses.[10] In June 2001 Waagner posted a message on Spitz's Army of God website stating that he was going to escalate the war on abortionists. In this letter, Waagner stated that "I am going to kill as many of them as I can.” [11] [12]
In response to the 1998 shooting death of Dr. Barnett Slepian, Spitz said: "What would I say to the family of Slepian? They live in a $500,000 house that was paid for with blood money - the blood of those babies that Barnett Slepian murdered... He knew what he was doing, he was murdering children. That's too bad if he was killed in front of his family..." [13]
Spitz has published prison writings of Paul Jennings Hill,[14] Eric Robert Rudolph,[15] Shelley Shannon,[16] Rev. Michael Bray,[17] Paul Ross Evans [18] and Clayton Waagner[19] on the Army of God website.[20] He has been sending Hill's writings to Scott Roeder at Roeder's request and Roeder has been forwarding them to Linda Wolfe. Both Spitz and Wolfe are friends with Shelley Shannon who shot George Tiller. Roeder admitted guilt and was convicted of killing Tiller on 1/29/10.[21]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Hopkins, John (30). "Chesapeake minister is a man on a mission". The Virginian-Pilot. http://hamptonroads.com/2008/04/chesapeake-minister-man-mission. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ Extremist groups: information for students, Volume 1 - Thomson/Gale, 2006
- ^ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/02/se.18.html
- ^ Spitz, Donald. "Defensive Action Statement". Army of God. http://www.armyofgod.com/defense.html.
- ^ Risen, James (1998). Wrath Of Angels: The American Abortion War. Basic Books. pp. 368. ISBN 978-0465092727.
- ^ Extremist groups: information for students, Volume 1 - Thomson/Gale, 2006
- ^ scanned letter located at http://www.armyofgod.com/JohnSalviMassachusetts.html
- ^ Women: images and realities : a multicultural anthology - Amy Vita Kesselman, Lily D. McNair, Nancy Schniedewind - McGraw-Hill, Nov 2, 2006
- ^ Extremist groups: information for students, Volume 1 - Thomson/Gale, 2006
- ^ US abortion clinics in anthrax scare. BBC News. 19 October 2001.
- ^ United States Department of Justice Press Release December 3, 2003 http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2003/December/03_crt_661.htm
- ^ Copy of Waagner's letter on Spitz's Army of God website http://www.armyofgod.com/Claytonsmessage.html
- ^ Unborn in the USA, 00:45:00, First Run Features 2007
- ^ http://www.armyofgod.com/Paulhillindex.html
- ^ http://www.armyofgod.com/EricRudolphHomepage.html
- ^ http://www.armyofgod.com/shelleyselect.html
- ^ Writings of Rev. Michael Bray http://www.armyofgod.com/MikeBrayIndex.html
- ^ http://www.armyofgod.com/POCPaulRossEvansHomepage.html
- ^ http://www.armyofgod.com/ClayWaagnerMainPage.html
- ^ Anti-Abortion Heroes of the Faith http://www.armyofgod.com/heroes.html
- ^ Roeder Convicted in Abortion Doc Slay. 29 January 2009.
