Joseph M. Scheidler, âGodfatherâ of the Anti-Abortion Movement, Dies at 93
A former ad executive, he pioneered a militant style of direct-action protest during the 1980s before winning a decades-long lawsuit that accused him of racketeering and extortion.
Joseph Scheidler outside the Supreme Court building. The court ruled unanimously in his favor in 2006 in a case arising from his threatening to impede the work of abortion clinics.Credit.Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Jan. 20, 2021
Joseph M. Scheidler, a former advertising executive who became a leading figure in the anti-abortion movement by marrying media savvy with confrontational tactics, died on Monday at his home in Chicago. He was 93.