U.S. group heads anti-choice drive TORONTO — The pro-choice move- ment responded in the hundreds to attempts by anti-abortionists to close the city’s abortion clinics last week. Led by the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics (OCAC), the activists were successful in thwarting a bid by Operation Rescue, a U.S.-based_right- wing group, to preverit women from obtaining abortions. Spokespersons at both the Scott clinic on Gerard Street and the Morgentaler clinic on Harbord reported normal patient loads, adding that every woman booked made it through the hostile pickets outside. The news marked a victory for the pro-choice movement which had squared off against anti-abortionists in some- times violent confrontation for three consecutive days in front of the two clin- ics. On the final day, Jan. 14, police moved in and arrested about 160 members of Operation Rescue who stopped traffic on Harbord Street after they were stymied in their efforts to block the entrance to the Morgentaler clinic by pro-choice supporters. About 40 anti-abortionists had sat down on the steps of the Morgentaler clinic Jan. 12, and showed up again at the Scott clinic Jan. 13. On Jan. 14, pro- choice supporters beat them to the punch, showing up at Morgentaler’s clinic as early as 6:30 a.m. Mobilized by OCAC and the Labour Council of Metro Toronto, the action was taken out of frustration with police reluctance to deal with the anti- abortionists. Inan unreasonable show of force Jan. 12, Metro police indiscriminately threw [THE WAY . INN =3 i4¢ CANADA Hundreds of Toronto pro-choice activists maintained a day-long vigil outside the Morgentaler clinic Jan. 14 to ward off an anti-abortion drive to keep women from entering the clinic. Police later arrested over 100 members of Operation Rescue, who attempted to block access to the clinic. Hundreds rally to keep Toronto clinics open pro-and anti-choice members over barri- cades, as both groups vied to occupy the clinic steps. The following day, however, police allowed about 25 Operation Rescue members to block access to the clinic for 10 hours, even after the clinic director was injured when knocked to ‘the ground as trespassers tried to force their way into the building. Repeated requests by labour represen- -tatives, including labour council presi- ~ dent Linda Torney, to clear the entrance were refused. “If these were workers on a picket line, the police would certainly have acted by now,” commented Bill Howes, organiza- tional director for the Communications Workers of Canada, who took part in the chilly vigil. Pro-choice supporters were successful in clearing a path through the demon- strators and escorted patients in and out of the building. “Operation Rescue can return to the U.S. now,” said OCAC spokesperson Cherie MacDonald. “They must be ter- ribly disappointed. Not one woman was prevented from having an abortion. Their mission was a total failure.” This was the largest action anti- abortionists have mustered since the two clinics opened three and a half years ago. However, both facilities been the site of constant harassment by members of Campaign Life who have kept up daily pickets, intimidating patients and clinic staff and volunteers. Doctors at the clin- ics have been physically assaulted, and on one occasion arsonists attempted to set fire to the Morgentaler clinic. Cam- paign Life maintains its headquarters in the building adjacent to the Morgentaler clinic. ° 6 « Pacific Tribune, January 30, 1989 a ~~ +s + ‘ —— = % a a = a 5 to ee AAR KAA OLE REEP SL OPS = A AAA RS OA AERA LOR LAD OLDER ALD OD By ANGELA KENYON Saturday, Jan. 28 marks the first anniver- sary of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Canada’s abortion law. Dur- ing that year, pro-choice supporters in Brit- ish Columbia have fought and won many battles as they sought to establish a free- standing abortion clinic in Vancouver. But the opening of Everywoman’s Health Centre on Nov. 4 was not to be the end of the fight. The emergence of the anti- choice organization, Operation Rescue, onto the Canadian scene marks a new stage in the struggle to defend women’s demo- cratic right to choice on abortion. Operation Rescue is the cutting edge of the anti-abortion movement. Their tactics of civil disobedience, disruption of clinic activities and harassment of clinic staff and patients are all designed to keep the abor- tion issue up front as the anti-abortion lobby prepares to push for the Conservative government to enact new restrictive abor- tion legislation. ; Operation Rescue first appeared in Van- couver on Dec. 15. when they demonstrated outside the clinic. They were back on Satur- day, Jan. 21 in larger numbers and they successfully blockaded the clinic for 15 hours, as clinic staff and supporters fought in the courts to have Vancouver police granted the right to issue arrest warrants. The blockade was part of a continent- wide campaign called “International Days of Rescue.”’ According to the leaflet circu- lated by Operation Rescue their goal is to “peacefully but physically blockade abor- tion mills with their bodies, to intervene between abortionists and the innocent vic- tims.” But according to pro-choice advo- cates here and in the U.S. the goal of Operation Rescue is media coverage. “They know that their actions don’t dis- suade women from an abortion. At best, they cause delays but we have found that women are prepared to wait. They don’t prevent any abortions. Their actions are political. By getting so much media atten- tion, their organization looks more effective than it is in reality,” said Pat Brighouse, director of security at the Vancouver clinic. Susan Kennedy, director of the Califor- nia Abortion Rights Action League in San Francisco told the Tribune in an interview: “All Operation Rescue wants is media attention and they are very good at doing that. It makes their movement here seem larger than it actually is.” Operation Rescue is led by 29-year-old Randall Terry of Binghamton, New York. He first suggested the campaign to the annual conference of the Pro-Life Action Network, a coalition of direct action groups, in May, 1987. Since that time, Operation Rescue has organized regular actions at hospitals and clinics that provide abortion services all across the United States, resulting in numerous arrests. Between May and September, 1988 more than 19 abortion facilities in the U.S. endured over 34 sit-ins and blockades by Operation Rescue resulting in more than 4,000 demonstrators being arrested, many of them repeatedly. In some cities, Operation Rescue leaders have tried to work out a pre-demonstration “deal” with top police officials. They offer a peaceful and non-violent demonstration in exchange for a no-arrest policy, or some other assurance that the demonstrators will not be stopped from blockading a clinic. A training video which is shown to members of Operation Rescue includes a two-hour segment on manipulation of the local police and courts. Terry likes to characterize himself and other Operation Rescue leaders as followers of the civil rights and non-violence move- ment. Whether by accident or design, it has been Atlanta, Georgia, the home town of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that has become the focal point of Operation Rescue’s strategy. Operation Rescue demonstrated in At- lanta for nine weeks last summer. The city has eight facilities, clinics and hospitals, that provide abortion services. Every one of the facilities were targeted as Operation Rescue’s tactics ranged from peaceful, non- violent demonstrations, to verbal harass- ment, bomb threats, criminal trespass and assaults on police officers. The demonstrators were back in Atlanta again during the week of Oct. 3-8 to take part in what Randall Terry called the “Siege of Atlanta.” Terry himself was arrested dur- ing this time and an Atlanta couple put up their home as collateral for his $75,000 release bond. Atlanta police estimated that the cost to the city of the week-long con- frontation was over $500,000. Although other anti-abortion groups have at times criticized the actions of Opera- tion Rescue, as the fight escalates to over- turn the 1973 Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision — the case which legalized abortion in the U.S. — their criticism has been muted. Last summer during the actions in Atlanta, right-wing evangelist Jerry Falwell presented Terry and Opera- tion Rescue publicly with a cheque for $10,000 for legal expenses. “Operation Rescue is a fringe group, but the mainstream right-to-life movement is not going out of their way to disassociate themselves from Operation Rescue. If they are criticizing them at all, it is in a very mild fashion. The line between Operation Rescue and the mainstream anti-abortionists is very thin, just as the line between Operation Rescue and the Army of God, the terrorist group which has bombed clinics in the U.S. is very thin, and getting thinner all the time,” said Kennedy. She cited recent actions by Operation Rescue at clinics in the San Francisco area where the new tactic was to provoke fights with any male pro-choice security person- nel: Kennedy herself was injured during the last action as pro-choice supporters attemp- ted to protect the entrance to a clinic. The anti-abortion lobby in the United States — which according to recent surveys represents only two out of every ten Americans — is hoping fora reversal of the Roe versus Wade decision later on in the year. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed ear- lier this month to hear arguments on why it should granta full hearing to a case in which the state of Missouri is appealing a lower court ruling that a state law restricting abor- tion was unconstitutional in light of the Roe versus Wade decision. There are three other cases pending in the courts in the United States that are all seek- ing to challenge the present laws on abor- tion. ; The stepped-up harassment of clinics by anti-choice groups in this country is clearly linked to the campaign to put pressure on the federal government to bring in restric- tive anti-abortion legislation to replace the Criminal Code sections struck down by the Supreme Court one year ago. As has been demonstrated repeatedly, public opinion overwhelmingly favours women having the right to choose. But the right wing campaign, which is echoed by many in the Conservative government, has highlighted the continuing threat to choice in the wake of the court ruling. This week, supporters of Vancouver’s Everywoman’s Health Centre called a rally for noon Saturday Jan. 28 at Robson Square to mark the anniversary of the court - ruling and to protest the blockade of the clinic by anti-choice groups. iaplie trtal tee atas: