The US military has sparked “outrage” among lawmakers and Christian leaders for including pro-life groups as “terrorists” in a recent training session.
The Fort Liberty garrison in North Carolina is facing criticism after a photo of a slide presentation given by trainers at an anti-terrorism briefing circulated on social media.
The slide classified “anti-abortion” and “pro-life” organizations as “terrorist groups,” indicating that they could be a threat to the security of military installations.
He mentioned Operation Rescue and National Right To Life as examples, along with people with license plates that say “IM4IT” and “choose life” on their vehicles.
Twenty-five lawmakers, including members of the House Armed Services Committee, signed a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, expressing “outrage” at the “disturbing” training session.
The US military has sparked “outrage” from lawmakers and Christian group leaders after listing pro-life groups as “terrorists” in a recent training session.
The U.S. Army training slide classified “anti-abortion” and “pro-life” organizations as “terrorist groups,” indicating they could be a threat to the security of military installations.
“We are writing today to express our outrage over a Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) training conducted at Fort Liberty that characterized pro-life organizations as ‘terrorist groups,'” the letter reads.
‘The training labeled several prominent and respected pro-life groups as violent extremists.
‘The training also indicated that members of these organizations are threats to the security of military installations and designated symbols of pro-life groups, including state-issued pro-life license plates, as indicators of terrorism.
“This is truly shocking for an organization that insists on treating everyone with ‘dignity and respect.’”
Led by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the letter said the training session was held for 47 “uniformed soldiers tasked with protecting access points to Fort Liberty.”
“Training installation gate guards to ensure that service members and their families who have pro-life license plates are viewed as suspects and potential terrorist threats to the installation is not only absurd but dangerous,” the letter reads.
The Fort Liberty garrison in North Carolina is facing criticism after a photo of a slide presentation given by trainers at an anti-terrorism briefing circulated on social media.
Twenty-five lawmakers, including members of the House Armed Services Committee, signed a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth (pictured) expressing “outrage” over the “disturbing training session.”
‘Young soldiers trained to treat certain state-issued license plates as a terrorist threat increase the risk that they will be involved in an unnecessary confrontational situation with drivers who would otherwise be permitted to access Fort Liberty.’
The letter urged the Army to “immediately issue a correction” on the slide and “discipline those individuals responsible for spreading such false and divisive claims.”
Lawmakers also demanded answers about how the slide was allowed in the presentation in the first place.
Several leaders of pro-life groups also spoke out against the training module. Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, called the briefing “deeply offensive.”
“In a presentation that is deeply offensive to pro-life Americans across the country, Fort Liberty promoted blatant lies about the National Right to Life in a display of lazy scholarship,” Tobias said in a statement.
‘In our more than 50-year history, National Right to Life has always, consistently and unequivocally, condemned violence against any person.’
Several pro-life leaders, including Tony Perkins (left) and Carol Tobias (right), also spoke out against the training module.
The lawmakers signed a letter criticizing the U.S. military for labeling “several prominent and respected pro-life groups as violent extremists” in a training session. (Pictured: A pro-life rally in June 2024 outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC)
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian campaign group based in Washington, also criticized the training slide.
“This is insane! It’s beyond alarming. Being pro-life, peacefully defending the sanctity of human life, and trying to stop the killing of unborn children makes you a terrorist?” he wrote on X.
The US military has yet to publicly respond to the backlash.
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