Abortion Clinic Target of Violence and Protest

Several days a week, the abortion clinic in El Monte, California, is targeted by anti-abortion protesters. The extremists videotape, rally, and harass women entering the clinic. The El Monte clinic is one of the few clinics in the state that continues to face regular hostility from protesters.

Kathy Spillar, the national coordinator of the Feminist Majority Foundation -- which sponsors the nation's oldest and largest abortion clinic defense program -- said, "If local law enforcement is hesitant to deal with these protests, anti-abortion groups see that as an invitation to me. Law enforcement is key."

Protesters argue that they are only expressing their right to freedom of speech and that they are praying for the women.

In recent years, organizations such as NOW and the ACLU have been monitoring anti-abortion extremists' violations of state and federal laws as a result of increased violence surrounding abortion clinics.

Media Resources: Los Angeles Times - June 25, 1999

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