A 63-yr-old Catholic man in Owosso, Michigan, was killed by another man who was apparently angry about the nature of the protests. Mr. James Pouillon was in front of Owosso High School doing what he did just about every day, demonstrating and carrying a placard bearing the word "Life" on one side and an image of an aborted fetus with the word "Abortion" on the other.

His death is believed to be the first killing of a person protesting abortion. President Obama spoke out last Sunday about Mr Pouillon's death, calling the shooting "deplorable."

"Whichever side of a public debate you're on," said Mr Obama, "violence is never the right answer."

A New York Times story described the pain Mr Pouillon had experienced following a divorce, and how he had translated his grief into one man protests against abortion.