A local pro-life advocate and leader of 40 Days for Life, a campaign to end abortion, received sobering news in court Thursday, July 17, after attempting to appeal an injunction for harassment made against him last December.
After more than two hours in court, Milwaukee County Judge William Sosnay ruled in favor of the injunction filed against Daniel Miller Dec. 17, 2013, by Alan Keltner, a volunteer escort for Affiliated Medical Services.
Miller appealed the injunction with the help of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm, and local lead counsel from a Brookfield-based law firm.
“Of course we’re disappointed by the loss, but in that seven-month timeframe, I mean, who really won? To the best of our knowledge, 100 babies were saved,” Miller told the Catholic Herald in a telephone interview Monday. “I was able to comply with the law and it didn’t really affect our work. It gave us some challenges, more than we had before, but with God, all things are possible.”
The injunction, stemming from a temporary restraining order Milwaukee Police served Miller June 19, 2012, at Keltner’s request, means Miller can’t sidewalk counsel at Affiliated Medical Services when Keltner is volunteering – or be anywhere near Keltner through Dec. 17, 2018; if Keltner shows up, Miller must leave the vicinity immediately.
“At its core, it means that I can’t be there when he’s there,” Miller said. “There are some other things that apply to it, but at its very core, and related to the sidewalk counseling ministry, that’s the endgame right there. If he is there, I can’t be there. If I’m there and he shows up, I have to leave.”
The Catholic Herald reported last December that an injunction hearing followed an event that happened involving 40 Days for Life volunteers and Keltner in October. Miller told the Catholic Herald that after Keltner approached a vigiler’s three daughters, and gave them “a completely inappropriate sex education class,” Miller broadcasted Keltner’s name and home address in one of his emails to inform people involved in 40 Days for Life about the incident.
More alleged events followed.
At that time, Keltner told the Catholic Herald he wanted the law to be followed and the alleged intimidation, stalking and harassment to stop, hence the four-year injunction.
Miller had taken his sidewalk counseling to Planned Parenthood on North Jackson Street for a few weeks, after the initial injunction was imposed, before returning to Farwell.
Miller said that, in light of the ruling, he will continue doing what he’s been doing in excess of 5,000 hours over the last four years: “reaching out to young moms and dads in the hopes that our message will be taken to heart and that their baby will be saved because of it.”
“The battle for souls goes on,” Miller said. “We’ve been able to comply with the restraining order up until this time and we plan to continue to do so until it’s over with in 2018.”
