The Cowardice of the Bombers

The bomb is the weapon of a coward afraid to test his ideas in open debate. In stern language President Reagan has condemned such cowardice in the spate of bombings at abortion clinics around the country over the last two years. He has directed all federal agencies to cooperate in the vigorous pursuit of those responsible.

The FBI says that there have been 30 bombings at clinics since May, 1982. Eight people have been arrested in connection with 12 of those violent acts; five have been convicted. Primary enforcement responsibility for crimes involving explosives lies with the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The President did not shift that responsibility, but the FBI has named a liaison official to ensure cooperation.

FBI Director William H. Webster has declined in the past to assume jurisdiction over the investigation, saying that the bombings do not constitute “terrorism.” If the object of terrorism is to demoralize or intimate people through force, then these bombings have had exactly their desired effect. The bombings not only prevent some women from exercising their right to an abortion; they also restrict other women from seeking counseling on a range of family-planning options.

Reagan called the bombings “violent, anarchist activities.” He is correct. Anarchy is lawlessness; anarchists seek the end of government. Democracy depends on the rule of laws consented to by the governed. Policy disagreements, even those as fundamental as the conflicts over abortion, are not resolved by fear and intimidation.

Ultimately the decision as to whether to bear a child and when to bear it is intensely personal and belongs in the private realm. It has unfortunately become a political issue through the question of abortion. The debate at least should be conducted in the forum of government free of influence by clandestine bombers.