THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410020055
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM SHEAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
In the largest anti-abortion protest in the region in recent years, about 150 demonstrators lined a three-block stretch of East Little Creek Road for more than an hour Saturday morning.
Carrying white-and-blue cardboard signs that said ``Abortion Kills Children'' and ``May I Adopt?,'' the demonstrators attracted occasional honking from passing drivers and a few jeers.
``Abortion keeps the population down,'' shouted one driver as he passed by.
Men, women and children stood shoulder-to-shoulder on both sides of Little Creek Road in front of the Bel Aire Building. The three-story office building at 1600 East Little Creek Road has been a frequent target of protests because it houses the only abortion clinic in Hampton Roads, the Hillcrest Clinic.
During Saturday's demonstration, Norfolk police and other law enforcement officers monitored the activity from their cars. Demonstrators did not block access to the building or its parking lot.
The Hillcrest Clinic and its physicians have complained about harassing telephone calls and threats by protesters. In August, federal marshals began escorting a physician who worked at the clinic and had been followed by abortion opponents.
In past years, demonstrators have lined up along stretches of Virginia Beach Boulevard and hoisted signs with anti-abortion messages. This year, they chose the Little Creek Road location in hopes of influencing women who might be scheduled to have abortions at the Hillcrest Clinic on Saturday, said Laura Taylor of Norfolk, one of the organizers.
The majority of participants were parents with young children in tow. Scott Gore, a Norfolk resident and community-services counselor, said he decided to picket with his wife and two children despite having some initial concerns about the violence anti-abortion protests have generated in other cities.
NORFOLK - In the largest anti-abortion protest in the region in recent years, about 150 demonstrators lined a three-block stretch of East Little Creek Road for more than an hour Saturday morning.
Carrying white-and-blue cardboard signs that said ``Abortion Kills Children'' and ``May I Adopt?,'' the demonstrators attracted occasional honking from passing drivers and a few jeers.
``Abortion keeps the population down,'' shouted one driver as he passed by.
Men, women and children stood shoulder-to-shoulder on both sides of Little Creek Road in front of the Bel Aire Building. The three-story office building at 1600 East Little Creek Road has been a frequent target of protests because it houses the only abortion clinic in Hampton Roads, the Hillcrest Clinic.
During Saturday's demonstration, Norfolk police and other law enforcement officers monitored the activity from their cars. Demonstrators did not block access to the building or its parking lot.
The Hillcrest Clinic and its physicians have complained about harassing telephone calls and threats by protesters. In August, federal marshals began escorting a physician who worked at the clinic and had been followed by abortion opponents.
In past years, demonstrators have lined up along stretches of Virginia Beach Boulevard and hoisted signs with anti-abortion messages. This year, they chose the Little Creek Road location in hopes of influencing women who might be scheduled to have abortions at the Hillcrest Clinic on Saturday, said Laura Taylor of Norfolk, one of the organizers.
The majority of participants were parents with young children in tow. Scott Gore, a Norfolk resident and community-services counselor, said he decided to picket with his wife and two children despite having some initial concerns about the violence anti-abortion protests have generated in other cities. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
JIM WALKER/Staff
Laura Taylor was one of about 150 men, women and children that lined
both sides of East Little Creek Road in front of the Hillcrest
Clinic on Saturday.
by CNB