Anaheim : Abortion Protest Joined by Children

Seventy-five to 100 anti-abortion protesters, mostly children, blockaded the front of a gynecologist’s office at West Anaheim Medical Plaza on Thursday, continuing a series of demonstrations and rallies held throughout Southern California this week by Operation Rescue.

Chanting prayers and holding pamphlets with photos of aborted babies, children as young as 5 years old peacefully lined the narrow hallways of the medical complex as adult members of the organization looked on.

“They know what an abortion is and they know it is wrong,” said Sue Finn, administrative director of Operation Rescue. “They survived the abortion holocaust and this way they show everyone they want to do something to stop the murders of one out of every three children that are aborted.”

Finn and about 30 adults from the organization joined the children outside the offices of Dr. Yung Tae Kim in an attempt to discourage women from entering.

Finn said they confirmed that Kim performs abortions by having members call in advance to make appointments. “Our aim is to keep the offices closed so the women can have a day or two to think about what they are actually doing,” Finn said. “The children just asked if they could have a bigger part in helping out.”

Judy Kay of Ontario said she and her two children regularly participate in protests at abortion clinics around the state. “I think it is good to have them get involved at an early age,” Kay said, accompanied by her 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

Advocates of women’s right to abortions who were at the site expressed outrage at the children’s involvement.

“How you can you tell me they understand what they are in there for?” said Chris Criner of the Orange County Pro-Choice Coalition. “I teach my parrot what to say and he says it and that’s what these parents do with their kids. They aren’t old enough to make a rational decision about this. They are just repeating what they hear.”

As patients arrived Thursday, the children began chanting biblical verses while adult protesters talked with the patients.

Clinic officials said that neither Kim nor his staff were on the premises at any point during the day and that all appointments were canceled.

“What the protesters don’t understand is that all they are doing is just postponing an abortion, not preventing one,” said Julie Schollenberger of the Defense Alliance of Los Angeles, who along with other volunteers alerted the medical complex to the protest and encouraged patients to reschedule. “If anything, they are also hindering others from getting medical attention who aren’t necessarily coming in for abortions.”