KELOWNA, British Columbia — The National Abortion Federation collects statistics on acts of violence against abortion clinics, reputedly showing how violent the pro-life community is.

But a new Web site seeks to demonstrate that there is violence against members of the pro-life movement as well.

Prochoiceviolence.com carries newspaper articles about pro-abortion violence, medical malpractice, deaths during abortions, sexual harassment and other misdeeds committed by abortionists. It has video of aggressive behavior by clinic escorts and pro-choice demonstrators, including college students disrupting a pro-life demonstration on campus. There are links to other sites documenting pro-abortion violence, including one sponsored by Human Life International.

The site is the brainchild of Ted Gerk, former president of the Pro-life Society of British Columbia and former executive director of Kelowna Right to Life.

“We are merely educating the public as to the real stories surrounding abortion,” Gerk said. “The abortion industry has done a fabulous PR job, keeping this information hidden. This Web site will expose the truth, both of pro-choice violence but also of the media complicity in keeping this information hidden from legislators and the general public.”

Gerk said that often there is good reporting on pro-abortion violence at the local level, but that it rarely makes it to the national media. Violence committed in the name of the pro-life cause, however, gets plenty of play.

“It's a great idea,” said Father Peter West of Priests for Life. “I've been involved in demonstrations, and the behavior of some of these counter-demonstrators is awful.”

Pro-life advocates like Dan Brusstar of New York City can attest to that. He said he still witnesses harassment by clinic escorts outside an abortion clinic on Manhattan's East Side and recalled being pushed and shoved when he participated in Operation Rescue in the early 1990s.

“At almost every rescue, we had pro-death groups,” he said, recalling one whose members were dressed in black leather and reminded him of Nazi storm troopers. “They tried to punch some pro-lifers, though, luckily, the cops intervened and arrested some of them for assault.”

Groups like the Women's Health Action & Mobilization (WHAM), would have five or six people surround a woman going into a clinic and shove pro-lifers out of the way, preventing them from speaking to her, he said.

Brusstar reported that members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are regulars at the Manhattan clinic now, and they have a way of counseling women without being confrontational. He speculated that their prayer life contributes to their calmness.

Calls to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the National Abortion Federation were not returned. The National Abortion Federation's Web site claims that since Roe v. Wade, abortion clinics in the United States and Canada have been “under vicious and unrelenting attack by people who are not interested in living within the laws of the United States.”

The Web site speaks of an increase in violence in 2001, including the rash of phony anthrax letters sent to clinics last fall. After mentioning that, it goes on to speak in alarming terms of an increase in the number of pickets outside clinics — more than 9,900 incidents.

“The tide of violence jeopardizes access to vital medical services and threatens domestic security for all citizens,” the pro-abortion site says.

But the material documenting pro-choice violence is out there, Gerk said, and his aim is to convince the general public. Because the public tends to be more skeptical, he uses as much material from the secular press as possible, though he does not discount material from pro-life sources.

For Gerk, the Internet has been a full-time Christian “ministry” for the past three years. Other Web sites he has developed look at topics like euthanasia and RU–486. He said his sites get a million visitors a year.

“We complain about the media, but here's a medium we have to exploit,” he said. “The Internet gives us a level playing field.”