Racketeer for Life: Fighting the Culture of Death

Joseph M. Scheidler

Joseph M. Scheidler has fought for the unborn since the Supreme Court allowed abortion on demand with its 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton rulings. He was the target of a lawsuit brought by the National Organization for Women under federal racketeering laws. Found guilty in 1998, Scheidler triumphed twice in appeals before the Supreme Court in 2003 and again in 2006.

Racketeer for Life explains how a former Benedictine monk and journalism professor was drawn into pro-life activism and describes his part in the history of the pro-life movement in the United States. Conversations, protests, and battles with clinic directors, doctors, politicians, judges, media personalities, and even other pro-lifers are woven together in this engaging account of the efforts of Scheidler and other activists to publicize the horrors of abortion, influence legislation, and, ultimately, to save lives.

Pro-life work has taken Scheidler around the globe. He’s crossed paths with some of the most famous leaders in recent decades, from President Ronald Reagan to St. John Paul II. Join sit-ins at abortion clinics, take part in rallies, listen to heated debates, and sit in a federal courtroom with one of the most dedicated warriors in the fight for the unborn as he shares his energy, wit, and faith in this engaging memoir.

Joe Scheidler was the chief defendant in a RICO lawsuit brought against him, the League and other pro-life activists by the National Organization for Women and two abortion clinics.

The RICO case, NOW v. Scheidler, was filed in 1986. He originally won in the lower courts, but the case was sent back to the Federal Court by the Supreme Court in January, 1994.

After a seven-week trial, Scheidler and the other defendants were found guilty of racketeering by a six-member jury.

That finding was finally overturned by the Supreme Court in February 2003.

“This is the memoir of the Father of Pro-Life Activism to which everyone--pro-life or not--needs to pay attention. This book explains why someone would give up everything and plunge himself into the pro-life cause. Its author takes the reader on an incredible journey, a work told with honesty and profound insight that will stand forever as one of the truly major contributions to the written history of the American battle for the lives of the unborn. Joe Scheidler's personal commitment inspired so many others to stand up for the oppressed class of unborn children. Here is the book that captures for all posterity the author's monumental witness to the sanctity of life.”

— Monica M. Miller, Ph.D., author of Abandoned and director of the Michigan-based Citizens for a Pro-Life Society

Racketeer for Life is a book in which those who are passionate about ending abortion will come to better understand their own heart and soul. This is the story of a champion of life, Joe Scheidler, who understands that ending abortion is a call, a vocation. I am proud to have been at his side as so many of these stories unfolded, and urge my fellow prolifers to immerse themselves in these memoirs. You will be blessed. -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

Read Racketeer for Life today … but be warned: Joe Scheidler has a way of radically altering the direction of the lives lives he touches. God used Joe to draw me out of my complacency in the business world into full-time life-saving work, and I am not alone. Today’s pro-life movement stands on the shoulders of this gentle giant, and I’m excited that we finally get to read his whole story — with all the juicy details! By the time you finish the last page, you’ll want to join Joe in being a Racketeer for Life!

— David Bereit, CEO of 40 Days for Life

"In Racketeer, Joe Scheidler reveals how so much of the groundwork for modern pro-life activism was laid by ordinary men and women who simply believed that opposing injustice was more important than private comfort. His timely autobiography is a moving account of a life well lived, and a call to true heroism for the generations to come—whose lives in some part have been secured by his tireless, faithful work."-David Daleiden, The Center for Medical Progress

“This is a must-read for millennials in the pro-life movement. Joe is the godfather of the pro-life movement and learning about his own history is vital those of us trying to end abortion in our lifetime. Joe is the definition of courage and creativity and has saved countless lives. I’m so grateful that Joe has written this book and left a blueprint for young pro-lifers to finish the mission that he and others started, to protect all life and to help women facing unplanned pregnancies.”

— Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life of America

“Joe's book is a must-read for the next generation of activists and advocates who defend the most vulnerable in America today -- our preborn children. His story is one of big-heartedness, courage and determination -- a willingness to suffer on behalf of the weak, and in a society where an injustice is often upheld as a good. An early father of the pro-life movement, Joe has pioneered the work to make legal abortion an unthinkable tragedy of our past, not our future. Thank you, Joe, for inspiring me and many others to love and live better--and give my whole heart to this cause!”

— Lila Rose, On its ay (JM)

"In Racketeer, Joe Scheidler reveals how so much of the groundwork for modern pro-life activism was laid by ordinary men and women who simply believed that opposing injustice was more important than private comfort. His timely autobiography is a moving account of a life well lived, and a call to true heroism for the generations to come—whose lives in some part have been secured by his tireless, faithful work."—David Daleiden, The Center for Medical Progress

"Racketeer for Life is a book in which those who are passionate about ending abortion will come to better understand their own heart and soul. This is the story of a champion of life, Joe Scheidler, who understands that ending abortion is a call, a vocation. I am proud to have been at his side as so many of these stories unfolded, and urge my fellow prolifers to immerse themselves in these memoirs. You will be blessed." —Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

Item No: 2578
Pages: 470
ISBN: 9781618908506
Publisher: Saint Benedict Press, LLC
Imprint: TAN Books
Publication Date: October 2016
Binding:
Dimensions: 6.25 x 9.25

$24.95
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