Local Abortion Protester Deported From China

INQUIRER: Deported from China on the eve of the Beijing Olympic Games, Michael McMonagle, 55, of Lansdale, [NOT pictured, left] believes he was able to draw attention last week to China’s problems of religious freedom and forced abortions. McMonagle, a veteran Catholic antiabortion activist, and two other protesters tried to pray and unfurl a “Jesus Christ is King” banner in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday and Thursday. But when the protesters tried to hold a news conference with foreign reporters in the square, Chinese police sent them packing. McMonagle returned to Philadelphia on Friday. “Just unfurling a banner in Tiananmen Square took every ounce of courage I had,” McMonagle said. With religion, China tolerates only church groups that are registered with the government. With the one-child policy that encourages abortions, couples can now have more than one child — if they pay a fine. For many families, that can be more than a year’s salary. “In some parts of China, 10,000 yuan [or about $1,400] is the price of life,” said McMonagle, cofounder of Generation Life, which advocates chastity for young people. MORE