Donald Spitz

Donald Spitz is an anti-abortion activist in the United States. He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he runs the website and is a spokesperson for the Army of God, an anti-abortion Christian terrorist organization that has been identified as an active underground terrorist organization by Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security's joint Terrorism Knowledge Base.[1] [2]

Donald Spitz
Personal
Born
Norfolk, Virginia, United States
ReligionChristianity
NationalityAmerican

Biography

Spitz is a first-generation Italian American whose family immigrated from Sant' Elia Fiumerapido, Frosinine, Italy and settled in Patterson NJ.[1] Spitz was born in Norfolk, Virginia, into a military family.[1] He joined the Navy at 18 and served for two years during the Vietnam War.[1][3] In the early 1980s Spitz moved to New York City, where he ran a street evangelism ministry in Times Square.[1]

Spitz was ordained in Manhattan by evangelist Leander Bolhoarst into the Pentacostal International Gospel Crusade.[1][3]

In 1993, Spitz moved to Chesapeake, Virginia where he formed Operation Rescue Chesapeake[4] then Pro-Life Virginia. He currently operates the Army of God website.[3]

Activity

Spitz was "best friends"[5] with Christian terrorist Paul Jennings Hill until Hill, who murdered physician John Britton and retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (and Britton's bodyguard) James Barrett, was executed.[3] Spitz was Hill's spiritual adviser during the last week of his life and was with Hill when he was executed.[6] Spitz was one of the 29 signers of the Defensive Action Statement, which he posted on the Army of God's website.[7][8] The Defensive Action Statement argued that the murders Hill committed were justified to protect "unborn children".[9]

Spitz was ordered to appear before two separate grand juries. The grand juries were held in Alexandria, Virginia and in Philadelphia during separate investigations into Hill and Clayton Waagner, a man who sent hundreds of anthrax scare letters to abortion providers in 2001.[3]

After John Salvi attacked two reproductive health clinics in Massachusetts, he drove to Norfolk Virginia where Spitz lived at the time. It was reported by the Boston Globe, at the time of his arrest in Norfolk, Salvi had Spitz's name and unlisted phone number in his possession.[10] Spitz held a prayer vigil outside Salvi's jail cell.[4] Spitz was so outspoken in defense of Salvi, he was asked not to come to Massachusetts for Salvi’s trail and he would be unwelcome if he did.[11][12]

Spitz was ejected from Operation Rescue. He formed Operation Rescue Chesapeake, but after a year and a half, when Flip Benham took control of the national organization, Spitz was ordered to separate himself and his organization from the Operation Rescue name because of his support and friendship with Hill. Spitz changed the name of his organization from Operation Rescue Chesapeake to Pro-Life Virginia.[4]

Spitz gained attention in 2001 with his support for Waagner, who was one of the FBI's ten most wanted,[13] who sent hundreds of anthrax letters to abortion clinics throughout the United States.[14][5] Spitz was also suspected of harboring Waagner and receiving phone calls from him while Waagner was on the lam.[15]

In response to the 1998 shooting death of Barnett Slepian, Spitz said: "What would I say to the family of Slepian? They live in a $500,000 house that was paid for with blood money – the blood of those babies that Barnett Slepian murdered... He knew what he was doing, he was murdering children. That's too bad if he was killed in front of his family..."[16]

Spitz has been watched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for over 20 years.[17] In 1994, the FBI suspected that he and other anti-abortion figures might be developing "a conspiracy that endeavors to achieve political or social change through activities that involve force or violence."[1][18]

Spitz has published prison writings of fellow extremists including Hill, Waagner, Eric Rudolph,[1][19][20] Shelley Shannon, and Michael Bray, on the Army of God website. Sptiz was in constant contact with Scott Roeder while he was awaiting trial for the murder of George Tiller.[21] Shelley Shannon, an anti-abortion extremist, made her first phone call when she was released from federal prison to Spitz. It is reported they had been in close contact the whole time of Shannon's incarceration.[22]

References
  1. Harrison, Don (November–December 2012). "Soldier of God". Coastal Virginal Mag. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  2. "Terrorist Organization Profile:Army of God". Terrorism Knowledge Base. 2004–2008. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  3. Hopkins, John (30 April 2008). "Chesapeake minister is a man on a mission". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  4. Extremist groups: information for students, Volume 1 – Thomson/Gale, 2006
  5. "Chesapeake minister is a man on a mission". Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  6. "Condemned Florida Killer Speaks Out". CNN.com. 2 September 2003. Archived from the original on 2013-05-31. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  7. "Defensive Action Statement". Archived from the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  8. "Anti Abortion Reverened Donald Spitz". Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  9. Spitz, Donald. "Defensive Action Statement". Army of God. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  10. Risen, James (1998). Wrath Of Angels: The American Abortion War. Basic Books. pp. 368. ISBN 978-0-465-09272-7.
  11. scanned letter located at http://www.armyofgod.com/JohnSalviMassachusetts.html Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Women: images and realities : a multicultural anthology – Amy Vita Kesselman, Lily D. McNair, Nancy Schniedewind – McGraw-Hill, Nov 2, 2006
  13. "Clayton Lee Waagner Named to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List". Archived from the original on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  14. "US Abortion Clinics in Anthrax Scare". BBC News. 19 October 2001. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  15. "Anti Abortion Reverened Donald Spitz". Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  16. Unborn in the USA, 00:45:00, First Run Features 2007
  17. "5 domestic terrorism threats you haven't thought of in a while, but are still here". Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  18. Johnston, David (August 4, 1994), "F.B.I. Undertakes Conspiracy Inquiry In Clinic Violence" Archived 2017-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times
  19. "Extremist taunts his victims from prison". USA Today. Associated Press. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  20. Lohr, Kathy (16 July 2007). "In Prison, Anti-Abortion Terrorist Taunts via Web". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  21. Hegeman, Roxana (3 July 2009). "Suspect in Kan. Abortion Doctor's Shooting Advocates Cause Via Mail". The Ledger. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  22. "Abortion clinics on edge after woman who shot Kansas doctor is released from prison".
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