Nation IN BRIEF : KANSAS : Protesters Explain Children’s Role

Operation Rescue, a militant anti-abortion group, admitted that its use of children in human blockades at Wichita, Kan., clinics may have backfired. Children lay down in front of automobiles attempting to enter the gates of Women’s Health Care Services. The Rev. Patrick Mahoney and other Operation Rescue leaders denied that children were ordered to join the protests and blamed the media for “blowing it out of proportion.” Another Operation Rescue leader, Randall Terry, said that minors who feel “morally compelled” to protest abortions, and have their parents’ permission, should be allowed to participate.