Opinion ID: 746244
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Activity Proscribed by the Act Threatens the Availability

Text: 40 of Abortion-Related Services 41 Congress found that the activity proscribed by the Act constituted a national problem, regularly causing the interruption of abortion-related services at the clinics where prohibited activity occurred. The Senate Report states that clinic blockades and violent protests had a significant adverse impact not only on abortion patients and providers, but also on the delivery of a wide range of health care services. This conduct has forced clinics to close, caused serious and harmful delays in the provision of medical services, and increased health risks to patients. It has also taken a severe toll on providers, intimidated some into ceasing to offer abortion services, and contributed to an already acute shortage of qualified abortion providers. S.Rep. No. 103-117, at 14. The Senate Report observed the link between the activity prohibited by the Act and the concomitant shortage in abortion-related services. Id. at 17 (Some providers have succumbed to the intimidation and threats. At least three physicians in Dallas stopped performing abortions in 1992 as a result of pressure by an anti-abortion group. In early 1993, after receiving death threats, two doctors stopped working at an abortion clinic in Melbourne, FL. And since Dr. Gunn was shot in March 1993, at least eight more doctors have stopped offering abortion services.); id. at 80 (statement of Randall Terry, Director, Operation Rescue) (stating that he personally facilitated the withdrawal of half the abortion providers in a community). The House Report also observed that the reduced availability of abortion-related services was at least partially attributable to the violence and intimidation described in this report. Doctors understandably are leaving the field, and new graduate[s] have little desire to enter the field even as part of a wider obstetrics/gynecology practice. H. Rep. No. 103-306, at 8. Congress noted the severity and frequency of abortion clinic violence. Id. (noting that, from 1984 through 1992, there had been 28 bombings, 62 arsons, 48 attempted bombings and arsons, 266 bomb threats, and 394 incidents of vandalism); S.Rep. No. 103-117, at 3 & n. 1 (noting that, from 1977 through 1993, there had been 36 bombings, 81 arsons, 131 death threats, 84 assaults, two kidnappings, 327 clinic invasions, and one murder). Testimony before Congress made clear that the goal of the activity proscribed by the Act was to reduce or eliminate the national market for abortion-related services and that such activity had already achieved partial success. See, e.g., House Hearings, at 2 (statement of Rep. Schuman) (observing that [t]he stated goal of the tactics is to drive doctors and clinics out of the business of providing abortions and the tactics appear to be working and noting the diminishing numbers of physicians willing to provide abortion-related services); Senate Hearings, at 167-68 (statement of Freedom of Choice Action League) (detailing resignation of a Wichita, Kansas, physician from an abortion clinic after she received repeated threats). Floor debates also focused on the interruption of abortion-related services brought about by the activity proscribed by the Act. See, e.g., 139 Cong. Rec. S15,672 (daily ed. Nov. 16, 1993) (statement of Sen. Mikulski) (noting that abortion clinic violence has destroyed clinic facilities--leaving women without access to health care facilities); 139 Cong. Rec. H10,089 (daily ed. Nov. 18, 1993) (statement of Rep. Pelosi) (over 50 percent of clinics across the country offering reproductive health services have undergone extreme violence); id. at H10,090 (statement of Rep. Engel) (The work of many clinics--which often includes low-cost prenatal care, birth control, infertility, and adoption as well as abortion services--has been disrupted regularly by blockades, chemical attacks, and invasions.); id. at H10,091 (statement of Rep. Stokes) ([Activity proscribed by the Act has] damaged clinic facilities or driven away clinic staff, forcing these facilities to reduce their patient load and the wide range of services they provide. Other clinics have had to cease operations altogether after their facilities were destroyed by fire or bombings, leaving thousands of women without adequate health care services.); 139 Cong. Rec. H1501 (daily ed. Mar. 17, 1994) (statement of Rep. Kennelly) (noting the national scope of the abortion clinic violence). 42