GENDER AND EXTREMISM: John
Committed arson as part of the Army of God, The Army of God is a loosely organised extremist Christian anti-abortion group that has been responsible for several acts of violence and domestic terrorism in the United States.
John believes that abortion is murder, and that when the government enables this, it constitutes a war crime, and that abortion involves babies being killed in satanic ceremonies. He was infuriated when a staged display of small caskets in front of Planned Parenthood in Cincinnati failed to impact the staff. John identified himself in the persona of baby about to be murdered to emotionally prepare for an arson attack upon Planned Parenthood and an abortion clinic. He refused to plead guilty in court out of a sense of the righteousness of his mission. He belongs to the ‘Army of God’, a loose association of anti-abortion activists which calls for the use of force to stop abortions from being carried out. He describes a difficult marriage and working life and alcohol problems prior to developing an intense sense of injustice around abortion, and the deep sense of shame he felt which was allayed by anti-abortion activism.