Opposing Sides on Abortion Rally at Carl’s Jr.

Anti-abortion and pro-choice factions clashed Sunday outside a North Hollywood Carl’s Jr. over financial support the founder of the fast-food chain has given to anti-abortion efforts.

About a dozen pro-choice demonstrators held up signs urging motorists to boycott the restaurant on Sherman Way near Bellaire Avenue while about 65 abortion opponents waved soft drinks and hamburgers at passers-by to show support for the restaurant and its founder, Carl Karcher.

The pro-choice demonstrators were led by members of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the National Organization for Women, which in recent months has conducted similar protests at Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Burbank, Studio City and Glendale, said spokeswoman Barri Falk.

“We’re out here because Karcher is giving money from his profits to anti-abortion groups,” Falk said.

“We’re pro-choice and the majority of people are pro-choice. We’re trying to tell them not to support Carl’s Jr. because when they support Carl’s Jr. they’re supporting anti-choice people, people who would keep women enslaved. . . .”

But anti-abortion activists--who said they were alerted to the NOW protest by church ministers and a conservative radio talk show host--packed the restaurant for more than an hour and demonstrated alongside Falk’s group on the sidewalk in an effort to blunt NOW’s boycott.

“I don’t know the man and I don’t eat here,” said Richard Pfeffer, an abortion opponent who said he decided to show support for Karcher after hearing about NOW’s plans at his church, Bible Baptist in Tujunga. “But he’s making a stand and I like that.”

Julia Lennan, spokeswoman for the Right to Life League of Southern California, said NOW’s efforts to boycott the restaurant “blew up in their faces” because they were outnumbered by abortion foes “by 5 to 1 or more.”

“They wanted to shut Carl’s Jr. down and we’re telling them that they don’t have the numbers to do that,” Lennan said.

NOW’s Falk countered that her organization was less interested in how many demonstrators showed up than in informing the public of Karcher’s anti-abortion stand, hoping that will hurt his business.

Carl’s Jr. corporate spokesman Paul Mitchell declined to comment on the protest, saying his firm issued a blanket press statement responding to NOW’s efforts several weeks ago. The restaurant’s acting manager also declined comment.

In the past, spokesmen for Anaheim-based Carl Karcher Enterprises, the parent firm of Carl’s Jr., have denied allegations that a portion of every dollar spent at its restaurants is donated to the anti-abortion movement. They also said the boycott is misguided, since donations made to anti-abortion groups have come from individual executives, rather than from the corporation.

In August, company spokeswoman Patricia Parks said that at most, the firm has contributed several hundred dollars to candidates and organizations associated with the anti-abortion movement. In the past five years, she added, no donations have been made directly by Karcher Enterprises to Operation Rescue or similar groups.

At the same time, she said, “It’s true that Mr. Karcher has been very open and public regarding his support of the pro-life philosophy.”

“Mr. Karcher is not going to change his views, we expect that the opposition against him will continue. . . . But from the company’s perspective, we believe Mr. Karcher and the company shouldn’t be punished for exercising his right to freedom of speech,” Parks said.