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By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer Updated 2:10 PM Monday, March 7, 2011

WEST CHESTER TWP.— A man arrested during an illegal protest in Washington, D.C. outside Speaker John Boehner’s office, organized a small rally Monday morning at the congressman’s hometown office.

Five Clear Mountain Community Church members from Williamsburg, Ohio joined David Lewis, also of Williamsburg, for a brief demonstration to remind Boehner to hold fast on his stance against abortion.

“We will accept nothing less than 100 percent defunding of Planned Parenthood and child-killing in Obamacare,” said Lewis, a member of D.C.-based Operation Rescue/Insurrecta Nex. “We have already begun searching for a Republican to run against Mr. Boehner in a primary in 2012 should he fail in this sacred trust.”

Lewis was arrested with a group of five other protesters Feb. 23 after they linked arms to block the halls of Congress to draw attention to their cause. Congress was not in session that week and Boehner was not in his office.

“My concern is that so far, we’ve had empty rhetoric,” Lewis said. “The only way to hold his feet to the fire and to make him stand true to his promises is to hold demonstrations like this one.”

A candidate running against Boehner in the primaries has very little chance of winning, Lewis said, but it gives the group the right to run political commercials on abortion, and forces networks to air them uncut.

“He may be unbeatable,” Lewis said, “But, the point is we can get our message out to his constituency.”

Lewis said he is self-employed and spends time lobbying and organizing demonstrations to remind lawmakers that “mass murder of innocent babies is much more important than the economy.”

Boehner Spokeswoman Brittany Bramell said Boehner is a pro-life conservative who has made his opposition to taxpayer dollars funding organizations such as Planned Parenthood clear.

“He supports the Pence amendment, and is pleased that the open process in the House he has promoted led to the amendment’s inclusion in the spending cut legislation passed by the House last month,” she said.

The group planned several other rally locations on Monday and Tuesday, and Lewis said he is not afraid of getting arrested again to draw attention to the cause.

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