Clinic Arrests and Civil Rights Movement

I would like to ask letter writer Jenni Biondi (“Martin Sheen and Abortion Clinic Arrests,” Jan. 27) and her Operation Rescue friends two questions:

* Why do you continue to describe your actions, which consist of surrounding a legal medical business, physically attacking doctors and/or staff (as was the case in Tustin), verbally, visually and physically harassing any patients trying to exercise their legal, constitutional rights (both state and nationwide) to reproductive self-determination, as “peaceful”?

* Instead of moaning about your apparent lack of understanding regarding the outcome of your civil disobedience, why aren’t you doing something positive, like, for instance, lobbying our “kinder, gentler” President to approve more incentives toward child-bearing, such as parental maternity leave and national health and child day care?

I feel that this approach would gain your movement a lot more credibility than your comparing yourselves, who attempt to take freedom and self-determination away from people, with the civil rights movement, which did just the opposite.

CHRIS CRINER, Tustin