Foes Protest Abortion Gag Rule

More than 100 opponents of abortion restrictions marched Wednesday outside the federal building in Hawthorne to protest last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding government regulations that prohibit federally funded family planning clinics from counseling clients about abortion.

The protesters, some of them with bandannas tied over their mouths, circulated on the sidewalk on the corner of Marine and Aviation avenues, carrying signs with slogans that included “Gag Bush, Not Doctors” and “Don’t Gag the Constitution.”

“This is our way of letting people know that they ought to take a stand and not let the government run their lives,” said Merrill Edelstein, an activist with Women’s Coalition South Bay, the group that organized the march.

Protest organizers said they were heartened by the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval Wednesday of an appropriations bill that contains a provision that would withhold funds needed to implement the abortion restrictions. But they said the measure marked only a first step in blocking the disputed regulations.

“It’s a small victory, but it’s nothing to be complacent about,” said Vanessa Poster, coordinator of the Women’s Coalition. “This is a long fight, and we are ready to fight it.”