Catholic Leaders Urge End to Abortion Clinic Protests

Roman Catholic Bishop Leo O’Neil joined Cardinal Bernard Law, head of the archdiocese of Boston, Monday in calling for a halt to protests outside abortion clinics in the aftermath of Friday’s fatal shootings.

O’Neil, the spiritual leader of New Hampshire’s Roman Catholics, called for a period of reflection instead.

“I think we all need a breathing period to walk away from this kind of tragedy and do some serious reflection about what is the best possible approach to getting across our message of the sanctity of human life,” he said.

Frank Conlon, a frequent protester outside the Planned Parenthood clinic--one of the sites of the Brookline, Mass., shootings--said he would heed the church leaders’ admonition.

“We’re going to follow the cardinal’s order,” he said. “We want to give it a sabbatical for a while.”

But in Norfolk, Va., site of another shooting attack on a clinic, anti-abortion protesters said the church leaders were misguided. Some said they should be calling for a moratorium on abortion.

“What does (O’Neil) want me to do, just sit on my behind while babies are being killed?” said Donald Spitz of Pro-Life Virginia.

Both Brookline clinics planned to see patients this week amid increased security.

Elsewhere, President Clinton on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to mobilize task forces to make abortion clinics more secure.

Beginning a three-day vacation in his home state of Arkansas, Clinton said U.S. attorneys will head task forces with local officials to study clinic security in their jurisdictions. He also asked Atty. Gen. Janet Reno to meet with law enforcement officials about additional steps that might be taken.

“I recognize and respect the range of deeply felt beliefs Americans hold on abortion,” Clinton said in a statement. “A continued vigorous debate over abortion is proper. Violence against those who hold differing opinions is not.”

Meanwhile, in Canajoharie, N.Y., family members disclosed that the 88-year-old grandfather of a woman fatally shot at one of the suburban Boston abortion clinics died a few hours after being told of her death.

John J. Manning, who had a degenerative heart condition, died the day Shannon Lowney was killed at the clinic where she worked as a receptionist.

“My feeling is God called Shannon home, and my dad caught up with her so she didn’t make the trip alone,” said John B. Manning, Manning’s son and Lowney’s uncle.

Leanne Nichols, a worker at another clinic in Brookline, Mass., also was killed and five people were wounded in the rampage. John C. Salvi III, described by friends and relatives as opposed to abortion, was arrested in Norfolk on Saturday after the windows of a clinic building there were shot out.

Salvi is to be arraigned today in Norfolk on charges of shooting into a building, police said Monday.

Virginia authorities could drop that charge, paving the way for extradition proceedings to return Salvi to Massachusetts to face the murder charges, law enforcement sources familiar with the case said.

If Salvi waived an extradition hearing, he could be returned to Massachusetts as early as this evening, the sources said.

Manning said he did not blame his father’s death on the gunman.

Lowney, 25, was one of the elder Manning’s 14 grandchildren.

“My dad was clearly ready and has been ready,” the younger Manning said. “The tragic loss for the family is Shannon.”