The man who made national news after his radical anti-abortion protest at the vice presidential debate spoke to ABC36 and explained why he went to such extreme measures.
Rives Grogan, 47, climbed a tree and began shouting anti-abortion messages during the debate festival at Centre College on Thursday.
“They regulate the speeches so that people like me cannot speak. That is the reason I went up the tree because if I had just started speaking, they would have dragged me out. That’s what Hitler did,” Grogan said.
On Tuesday, he was arrested after he ran onto the field of the third National League Division Series playoff game in Cincinnati. The game was delayed for a few minutes.
Then in June, he was also arrested when he entered the U.S. Senate and shouted anti-abortion messages.
Grogan is a former Navy electrician. He says he was kicked out of Central Bible College in Missouri for protesting at local abortion clinics.
He then moved to California where he continued to study religion and continued with his protesting.
He now runs the New Beginnings Christian Discipleship in Los Angeles with his wife and three children, who he often includes in his protests.
He’s been arrested a countless number of times, but Grogan says it’s all worth it.
He hopes his message will reach those in government and eventually end abortion in America.
“The Lord has given me a vision that pastors need to send outreach teams to the swing states to stop Obama and support Romney,” Grogan said.
