The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 76/No. 29      August 6, 2012

 
Actions defend women’s right to
abortion at clinics in Charlotte
 
BY NED MEASEL  
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Thirty-five defenders of a woman’s right to choose abortion, organized by the National Organization for Women and Feminist Majority Foundation, turned out here July 21 to defend the Family Reproductive Health clinic from a similar-sized gathering of rightists there to harass women.

The pro-choice mobilization is aimed at ensuring that the city’s three abortion clinics remain open during an eight-day conference and “clinic siege” by the rightist group Operation Rescue/Operation Save America. The defenders will have a presence at the clinics through July 28.

One of the participants, Doug, 43, who is an office worker, told the Militant that he started coming to help defend the clinic a few weeks ago after driving by every day to work and seeing people standing up to the rightists’ harassment. “I saw women’s rights were being violated,” he said. “They deserve a safe legal opportunity to do whatever they decide. The harassment is an affront to their rights.”

One of the harassing tactics employed by the anti-choice side is to use an extremely loud sound system in an effort to be heard inside the clinic and intimidate the women there. “When they get the permit the noise is mind-numbing,” Cindy Thomson, a NOW activist, said. “They’ve never been fined, only warned by the police for exceeding the permitted 75 decibels.”

Last year the director of Operation Save America, Phillip Benham, was found guilty of stalking a doctor who performs abortions at the Charlotte clinics. Benham had put up hundreds of “Wanted” posters with the doctor’s name, including in the doctor’s home neighborhood.

He was sentenced to 18 months probation, ordered to stop the intimidation, and to stay at least 500 feet away from the doctor.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home