Doctor’s Killing Raises Fears for Abortion Groups

Police said Thursday that the suspected killer of a Pensacola abortion doctor apparently acted alone, but abortion-rights advocates, angered and saddened by the violence, charged that the slaying represented a fearful escalation of tensions and amounted to “domestic terrorism.”

“I do not consider this to be isolated,” said Rhonda Rhodes, a volunteer who said she has been threatened while chaperoning patients into abortion clinics. “It is escalating,” she said.

Police increased security Thursday at Pensacola’s two abortion clinics as similar facilities across the nation began taking added safety measures.

In Atlanta, doctors at a clinic that has been frequently targeted by abortion foes said they are considering wearing bulletproof vests.

The clinic where Dr. David Gunn was killed on Wednesday remained closed. Gunn, 47, was shot three times in the back with a .38-caliber revolver at point-blank range as he was getting out of his car at the back door of the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services clinic. Anti-abortion demonstrators were picketing in front of the clinic at the time.

Michael Frederick Griffin, 31, calmly turned himself in to police after the shooting.

At a hearing Thursday, Griffin was ordered held without bond. He asked Judge William J. Green for a blanket and a Bible for his cell.

“I would like to keep my Bible as one of my legal documents,” Griffin said as he appeared via a television hookup between the jail and the Escambia County Courthouse. Green referred him to jail administrators, who would not comment on the requests. Griffin also asked to represent himself, but the judge did not rule on that request.

Activists on both sides of the abortion battle said Gunn’s death may mark a turning point in the nation’s long-running battle over the issue.

“This is something we have predicted for a long time. Sooner or later, there would be a tragic incident, and it would wake everyone up,” said Pamela Maraldo, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation.

In Washington, women’s rights leaders and abortion providers called on Congress and the Clinton Administration to enact new federal protections against “domestic terrorism” by anti-abortion activists, saying the slaying is only the latest incident in a growing campaign of threats and attacks on physicians, nurses and abortion patients.

They urged Congress to take quick action on bills that would make it a crime to block access to a medical facility. Two months ago, the Supreme Court stripped federal judges of the power to protect abortion clinics from human blockades.

A second proposal would cut off some federal funds to communities that fail to enforce laws against stalking and harassment, a frequent complaint by operators of abortion clinics.

They also asked the FBI to investigate what they see as a national conspiracy by extremists to halt abortion through blockades, bombings and death threats.

“The government has an obligation to ensure that vigilantes, terrorists and religious extremists do not take away our basic right to choose,” said Kate Michelman, executive director of the National Abortion Rights Action League.

On Capitol Hill and at the White House, Democratic leaders promised to move rapidly.

In a brief statement, President Clinton said he was “saddened and angered by the fatal shooting” and called for an end to threats against abortion doctors.

“The violence against clinics must stop,” Clinton said. “As a nation committed to the rule of law, we cannot allow violent vigilantes to restrict the rights of American women. No person seeking medical care and no physician providing that care should have to endure harassment, threats and intimidation.”

In Pensacola, about 150 people gathered outside the city’s other abortion clinic for a candlelight memorial.

“I want to say very clearly to the whole world that Pensacola is a violent culture,” said Father Jack Murray, a Catholic priest who favors abortion rights. “We mask it under a veneer of Christianity. We have more churches per block than probably any other city of this size, but the Christian community is severely divided. We have a Christian right wing that would like to tear me limb from limb.”

While the shooting in Pensacola attracted new attention to violence near abortion clinics, it may also prompt a change of strategy by abortion-rights leaders.

Until recently, abortion-rights advocates concentrated their efforts on protecting the right to choose abortion free of government interference. Their top legislative priority was enacting a federal freedom-of-choice measure.

But last year, the Supreme Court unexpectedly endorsed the basic right to choose abortion, and both the White House and Congress are now controlled by supporters of abortion rights.

As a result, some abortion-rights leaders question the need for freedom-of-choice legislation when the threat now comes almost entirely from private protesters, not state officials.

“Quite frankly, that bill won’t solve any of our immediate problems,” said Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers. “Almost every day I get calls from physicians who get nails in their tires, whose kids are followed home from school, who get death threats on the phone. They need protection from that kind of harassment.”

Meanwhile, leaders of the more moderate anti-abortion groups find themselves in an uncomfortable position. While they said they deplore the murder in Pensacola, they added that they fear it could lead to a backlash against even peaceful protests.

Officials of the National Right to Life Committee and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued statements condemning the killing.

“The violence of killing in the name of pro-life makes a mockery of the pro-life cause,” said Helen Alvare, director of pro-life activities for the bishops.

But other anti-abortion activists complained that abortion-rights leaders were seeking to use the incident to restrict legitimate protests.

“They want to generate hysteria,” said Olivia Gans, a spokeswoman for the NRLC. “There is no need for new laws. There are already laws on the books against murder, vandalism (and) defacement of property.”

At a news conference Thursday morning, Pensacola police spokesman Sgt. Jerry Potts said investigators were not sure whether the crime was premeditated.

“The only thing that (Griffin) said, other than the comment that he had shot someone, was where the weapon was located,” Potts said. “He then wanted his lawyer and had no further comment.”

“At this time, we have no evidence to indicate a conspiracy exists,” Potts said. “The case is not closed, but I can’t say we anticipate additional arrests.”

Harrison reported from Pensacola and Savage from Washington.