THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 22, 1995 TAG: 9501200045
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
The shootings at Hillcrest Clinic and the Brookline, Mass., clinic and the subsequent support offered to the gunman by certain hard-line anti-abortionists brings up an interesting point:
The assumption has been that the people who commit such violence at these clinics are targeting the actual physicians who perform the abortions. However, in the Brookline shootings, two receptionists were fatally wounded. Since the two women willingly staffed the clinic and were therefore responsible for its continued operation, certain zealous ``pro-life'' supporters hailed the murders as one step toward the eradication of abortions and the clinics that offer them.
Under such logic, does the landlord who leases the space to a clinic deserve to be murdered?
What about subcontractors who are hired by the clinic to fix a telephone line or apply a coat of paint? It would appear that since the people mentioned perpetuate the further existence of the clinic, they too deserve to be targeted.
Finally, what about the pregnant woman who arrives at the clinic's doorstep to legally abort her unborn child? Since the clinic would probably cease to exist without her patronage, then perhaps she should be eliminated as well?
Pro-life, indeed.
HARVEY BILISOLY
Norfolk, Jan. 14, 1995 by CNB