Employees Taking Precautions Against Anti-Abortion Bombings : Violence Raises Tension at Family Planning Clinics

Director Paula Van Ness arrived for work at the Family Planning Center one morning to find a package on the front steps.

“It turned out to be only a paper bag filled with beer bottles some wino had left, but for a few minutes, it took my breath away,” said Van Ness.

The second-story windows of the mid-Wilshire clinic were shot out over Thanksgiving, and the center was burglarized over the Christmas holidays, putting those who work there on edge, she said, even though the incidents have not been directly tied to the clinic’s work.

They worry because there have been 30 instances of bombing, firebombing and arson at abortion clinics since May of 1982 and 24 during 1984 alone, according to federal authorities. “We often wonder if this place might get mistaken for clinics that do abortions,’ said Gretchen Wooden, the clinic’s co-director. “The break-in was very frightening-- especially since nothing was taken. It makes you wonder if they left something behind.”

No abortions are performed at the Family Planning Center, which does provide referrals for the procedure and birth control.

“It’s very hard on a staff to come to work day after day with threats to clinics at the back of their minds. These conditions are very difficult to work under,” Van Ness said.

There have been no major incidents of violence at abortion clinics in Los Angeles County. In September, a bombing of the San Diego Birth Control Institute destroyed the clinic, and the Santa Ana Planned Parenthood clinic was firebombed late last month.

A number of anti-abortion groups have publicly disavowed the violence.

‘In Favor of Life’ “We’re in favor of life, not against it, so we don’t condone any of these acts of violence,” said Beverly Bradley, vice chairman of the South Bay chapter of Crusade for Life, an anti-abortion group . “However, we think the bombings are incredibly over-reported as compared to the attention being paid to the number of abortions going on.”

Phone threats and minor vandalsim at abortion facilities are relatively common, and combined with the violence elsewhere, these events heighten the tension for workers.

Planned Parenthood, which offers abortions at three of its nine clinics, received a phone threat last month, said center spokeswoman Gloria Flowers.

“We got a phone call from our emergency answering service which said, ’29 cesspools have been bombed--are you next?’ ” The call came in on a line which is for nine of our clinics, so we couldn’t be sure who it was meant for. It was frightening,” Flowers said.

“In addition to the security systems which we already operated under, we reviewed procedures with our employees to make sure everyone knew what to do in case of emergencies,” said planned Parenthood Execuitive Director Dr. Hugh Amwyl.

“The bombings have contributed to our employees’ fears and made them extremely cautious,” said Tom Kring, referring to recent incidents elsewhere in the nation. He is executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Family Planning Clinic, a nonprofit organization that oversees 110 clinics in Los Angeles County and 80 more elsewhere in the state. Abortions account for about 5% of the clinics’ caseload.

Because of their worries, Kring said the organization invited federal investigators in to alert clinic operators.

“We had the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms come in to speak to our agencies’ directors and they sent us a handbook on how to handle bomb threats. They encouraged us to upgrade our fire insurance aand to take increased precautions.”

In October, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, began a campaign to educate abortion clinic workers on improving security and learning emergency procedures, said Los Angeles agent Curtis Cooper.

“We’ve had a bomb threat pamphlet available for over 14 yeras and began ‘Threat Assessment Seminars’ two years ago. But the increased bombings made us change our policy and go out to these agencies,” Curtis said.

Warning From Officials Recently, the bureau warned the National Abortion Federation that abortion clinics “should be aware of their security measures” and increase precautions against attacks around Jan. 22, which is the 12th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion.

Los Angeles area clinics are taking the federal warning seriously.

“We made a point of alerting the police and we’re going to make sure that no one’s going to be here that evening,” said Alicia Thomas, executive director for East Valley Community Health Center.

“We’ve taken quite a few security measures aas far as new locks and increased lighting,” said Edye Berg, assistant executive director of the Feminist Women’s Health Clinic in Hollywood. “Most significantly, supporters from the community have offered to hold a vigil during that time to keep a watch over the clinic.”

Although the National Organization for Women president, Judy Goldsmith, announced that members planned to hold vigils in clinics throughout the nation to discourage attacks, NOW Los Angeles chapter President Kathy Spillar said the local organization would not participate.

Time for Rededication “We decided not to get involved in such activities because in Los Angeles there really haven’t been any clinic bombings or organized harassment of clinics. We just didn’t think it was an appropriate response to the activities happening here in the city. Instead, we’ll use the anniversary of the 22nd to rededicate ourselves to standing behind the issue.”

“The violence is not going to stop women from having abortions,” said one clinic operator who wished to remain anonymous. “Choosing to have an abortion is a difficult enough decision for a woman as it is, but the violence isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. What outrages us is that something that’s perfectly legal is being attacked in this manner.

“We’re committed to letting women have the alternatives they deserve. As long as women are women they’ll need family planning services to prevent unwanted pregnancies and if they do have an unwanted pregnancy, they need all the options available to them, including a safe and legal abortion.”