Flip Benham

Phillip "Flip" Benham at an Operation Save America event in Jackson, Mississippi on July 21, 2006.

Philip "Flip" Benham (born April 16, 1948) is a fundamentalist Christian minister and the national leader of Concord, NC-based Operation Save America.

Pro-life ministry

Benham was a saloon owner until his conversion in 1976. He eventually became an ordained minister of the Free Methodist Church, and began a career as a pro-life activist. He has been arrested, by his own count, "less than a hundred, more than fifty" times. He is also a member of the Constitution Party and is a frequent commentator on its website.

Norma McCorvey

In 1994, he confronted Norma McCorvey, best known as "Jane Roe" in the landmark Supreme Court abortion case "Roe v. Wade", at a book-signing. He shouted at her that she was "responsible for the deaths of over 33 million children," and six months later he opened Operation Rescue's national headquarters next to A Choice for Women, the reproductive health care clinic where McCorvey was working at the time. McCorvey initially resisted any contact, but eventually started to talk to Benham during her smoking breaks. During one friendly banter, McCorvey goaded Benham, "What you need is to go to a good Beach Boys concert." Benham answered, "Miss Norma, I haven't been to a Beach Boys concert since 1976."

McCorvey later reported that this seemingly innocuous response shook her to the core and that, quite suddenly, Benham became human to her. She later accepted an invitation to visit their church and within a year, McCorvey converted from being pro-choice to being pro-life, which she has remained.

On August 8, 1995, Benham baptized McCorvey in a Dallas backyard swimming pool. The baptism was filmed for national television. A few years later, Ms. McCorvey converted to Catholicism.

Hurricane relief efforts

Benham and his organization volunteered their time to provide food and supplies in Mississippi after that area was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Although other organizations accepted funding from the government for their efforts, Benham stated that his organization would never accept money from the government.

Recent activities

Benham also gained attention commenting on the execution of Paul Jennings Hill and the murder of George Tiller, and for participating in the vigil outside of Judge Roy Moore's courthouse in which stood a Ten Commandments monument. He also demonstrated for Terri Schiavo.

Benham stated of Troy Newman, "There have been three directors of Operation Rescue – Troy Newman is not one." [1]

In a 2006 interview with Al Gross of KJSL-AM in suburban St. Louis, during the morning drive-time program "Mornings with Tim and Al", Benham stated he would let a daughter die rather than abort an ectopic pregnancy. When pressed on the question by Gross and an on-air telephone caller, Benham backed down and grudgingly admitted he would allow an abortion under such a circumstance.

Benham has also campaigned against hate crime legislation that would include legal protections for victims of anti-gay bias crimes.

External links

• Extremist Biography: Flip Benham from Planned Parenthood
• Flip Benham and Norma McCorvey at American Life League Conference, October 10, 1997 from the Biblical America Resistance Front
• Flip Benham's biography at the Operation Save America website.
• Hurricane Relief Update from Operation Save America
• Bio: Flip Benham from The Houston Chronicle, reprinted at Gay Day.com
• Flip Benham rebuked for Paul Hill statements from The Christian Gallery News Service
• Anti-Abortion Violence
• His is a ministry of confrontation: Flip Benham speaks up -- loudly -- on abortion, other issues from The Charlotte Observer, reprinted at Refuse and Resist.org
• The Haters: Flip Benham and the Real Americans By John Stoehr in the New Haven Advocate