Abortion Protester Guilty Of Vandalism

A Denver jury Wednesday convicted abortion protester David Lane on burglary and criminal mischief charges for vandalizing an abortion clinic and a doctor’s office last year.

Lane, 26, also was convicted as a habitual offender, so he faces 18 years in prison at sentencing May 3. He has convictions for theft in Georgia and burglary in Florida.

“This case is not about abortion,” prosecutor Duncan DeVille said in closing arguments. “This case is about a rebel who thought he found a cause. This case is about a rebel without a clue.”

Lane didn’t testify during his Denver District Court trial, so the jury did not hear his arguments of religious and constitutional justifications for his actions. He has told reporters he was trying to save unborn children.

“Not only is he a career criminal, he is a would-be assassin,” said Karen Reinisch, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, referring to Lane’s claim to reporters that he would kill an abortion doctor if the Lord told him to.

Lane was videotaped by security cameras March 18 vandalizing the Planned Parenthood Vine Street Clinic and the Denver office of Charles Gartner, a gynecologist who estimated abortions make up 2 percent to 3 percent of his practice.