Bush Justice Department Didn’t Enforce Anti-Abortion Violence Laws

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
George Tiller

Pursuing attackers of abortion clinics was not a priority of the Justice Department during the Bush administration, concludes an investigation conducted by The Washington Independent. The publication found that enforcement of a federal law making it a crime to threaten or commit violence against abortion providers or to vandalize their clinics, declined by more than 75% from 2000-2008.

 
In addition, Justice officials virtually stopped using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, which allows the attorney general to seek an injunction and compensatory damages for anyone who’s been harmed by any activity that violates the law. During the Clinton years of 1994-1999, the Justice Department filed 17 civil cases under the FACE Act. But during George W. Bush’s presidency, his administration filed a civil case under the FACE Act only once.
 
According to the National Abortion Federation, there were 3,291 acts of violence against abortion providers in the United States and Canada between 2000 and 2008, including at least 17 cases of “extreme” violence, such as arson, stabbing and bomb attacks. More than 600 letters containing threats to use Anthrax were sent to abortion doctors and clinics between 2000 and 2002 alone. And yet the Bush administration prosecuted only 11 individuals for any acts of violence against abortion facilities or providers.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
DOJ Abortion Violence Suits Cratered Under Bush (by Daphne Eviatar, Washington Independent)

Comments

Robert 15 years ago
During the Bush years...there were 0 anti-abortion murders and violence was way down according to the National Abortion Federation. It looks like the Bush administration did something right. Also, most of the prosecution of these cases would be done through local authorities so just because the DOJ didn't prosecute didn't mean prosecution was done. This is a worthless news story.
Steve 15 years ago
Abortionist Killed: National News - Abortionist Kills Woman: Ignored HYANNIS, Mass., June 16 /Christian Newswire/ - Abortionist George Tiller's death brought an outpouring of national media headlines and Congressional condolences to his family by a resolution approved by the US House. Laura Hope Smith's death at the hands of an abortionist was and continues to be ignored and her mother's effort to bring it to the attention of her senator was stonewalled. "Where was the press when my daughter Laura died at the hands of an abortionist?" asks Eileen Smith, Laura's mother. A media search shows mostly news reports from nonprofit organizations, religious news and other alternative media. Laura's death was mentioned 10 months later in one major publication, The Boston Globe, when the abortionist was indicted for manslaughter. It was 6 weeks before her local paper, The Cape Cod Times, mentioned Laura's death, although it sought out her mother for a two-hour interview just 2 days after Laura's death. Smith says the local newspaper rationalized delaying a report on Laura's death so it could corroborate it with an autopsy report. "Since when has news been postponed in lieu of reporting facts except in the abortion deaths of the mothers?" asks Smith. "I have to believe that it is only because the media's bias toward abortion determines what makes news," she said. "If Laura had died falling off a bike or in a car accident it would have been in the paper the next day," she said. "My daughter walked into that abortion facility healthy and she left dead," Smith said. Smith believes Tiller's death is another senseless killing in the history of abortion, adding to the 50 million untimely deaths of unborn babies, including the 60,000 viable babies aborted by Tiller. "His death is a tragedy, but so are all the lives that were taken by him and the lives of over 400 women who have died as a result of an abortion," said Smith. The abortionist was indicted by a grand jury for manslaughter in the death of Laura, following an investigation by local police and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. The District Attorney found the abortionist's conduct to be "willful, wanton, and reckless" because he sedated Laura with level three drugs without any means of cardiac monitoring or blood pressure cuff; had no assistant who could administer sedation, monitor the patient, or assist in resuscitating her; and, "failed to timely initiate a call to 911." The board also alleged that the abortionist made false statements. "I call on the media to report deaths like Laura's," said Smith. "If Tiller's death merits national news, so does a death at the hands of an abortionist," she added. Eileen Smith is available for interviews. Contact Valerie Mosher Pfeil, 413-768-9722. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve 15 years ago
So? The government hasn't done much to prevent pro-choice violence against pro-lifers either. And there's a lot more pro-choice violence than there is pro-life violence. http://abortionviolence.com/VIOLENCE.HTM Nobody is talking about the women Tiller killed through botched abortions. But since when did a pro-abort care about a dead woman?

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