An anti-abortion extremist gunned down Dr. George Tiller as the physician attended services at his church in 2009. Dr. Barnett Slepian lost his life after an extremist shot him through a kitchen window at his home in 1998. Another rifle-toting extremist murdered receptionists Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols and injured five others at their clinics in 1994. Anti-abortion extremists created “wanted” posters of Dr. David Gunn that included his photograph, telephone number and schedule. He was shot to death during an anti-abortion protest in 1993.
These are just a few of the doctors and other workers at abortion clinics who have been the victims of violence — including shootings, stabbings, bombings, arson — over the past two decades. Yet, anti-abortion extremists continue to stalk, intimidate and harass providers, clinic employees and even patients seeking abortion care. Now NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and Progress Texas have released an undercover audio (above) that reveals some of the disturbing tactics those extremists use: identifying and monitoring patients, providers and clinic staff; lining sidewalks outside clinics to dissuade patients from entering clinics; tracking and cataloguing the physical descriptions and car license plates of patients; searching tax records to find locations of new abortion providers. Learn more about the audio here.
Here’s a question to ask every candidate for office in Texas this year: will you stand up to anti-abortion extremists and condemn their dangerous intimidation and harassment tactics?
It’s time to #FightBackTx and tell politicians to stop the attacks on legal, safe abortion care for women in Texas.
