Anti-Abortion Protesters not Exempt from Duty to Practice Social Distancing
At a time when many of us are complying with public health guidance and practicing social distancing to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our families and communities safe, it’s alarming that anti-abortion protesters are still going to clinics to harass abortion providers and patients seeking care. The movement purports to care about “life” yet these protesters show no regard for the lives or health of patients seeking medical care, the health care professionals at those clinics, or even the protesters’ own families and communities. And although anti-choice politicians like would like to make this a discussion about freedom, it is simply about public health and safety.
By now, we are all aware of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance: stay six feet away from other people to try and “flatten the curve” and reduce the spread of the coronavirus. More than 90% of the U.S. population has been ordered to stay at home and go out only for essential services, like buying food and medicine. Yet, despite these clear guidelines, anti-abortion individuals continue to travel to clinics, gather in groups, and, in some places, approach patients and clinic staff.
Last weekend, eight people were arrested for violating North Carolina’s stay-at-home order by participating in a protest of approximately 50 people outside an abortion clinic in Charlotte. On March 28, four men were charged — and three of them arrested — while protesting outside another clinic in Greensboro, NC, even though there was a local stay-at-home order in place.
And it’s not just in North Carolina. An anti-abortion protester was the first person issued a citation by San Francisco police for violating the COVID-19 stay-at-home order on April 4. In Michigan, protesters are exploiting an exemption in the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order to justify large gatherings of protesters outside abortion clinics in Detroit. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order prohibits public and private gatherings but does not apply to churches and other houses of worship. Consequently, protesters have gathered in large groups outside Detroit clinics the past two weekends claiming that they are having a religious gathering — even though the order does not allow such an exemption.
As an Episcopal Priest and faith leader myself, I deeply understand and empathize with the impulse of the faithful to gather together in this moment; however, congregations throughout the country are finding ways to hold virtual gatherings so we can stay connected while adhering to the critical guidance of public health officials. Anti-abortion extremists are exploiting the good-faith efforts of the Michigan Governor and incorrectly using her order as an excuse to harass abortion providers and patients.
Some clinics regularly rely on volunteer escorts who help shield patients from harassment by protesters. However, many escorts are complying with stay-at-home orders or voluntarily staying at home to protect their communities, which leaves patients even more vulnerable to advances from anti-abortion individuals. In many places, these protesters are able to walk right up to patients as they enter or exit the facility or surround them as they walk to and from their cars. This behavior blatantly ignores the CDC guidance and can feel particularly threatening to patients now that concerns about the coronavirus are heightened. We have even heard reports of protesters intentionally coughing on clinic escorts and making physical contact with patients and providers attempting to enter clinics.
It is absolutely shameful that anti-abortion groups and individuals are ignoring public health guidance and putting patients and clinic staff at risk. This is not only selfish — it’s dangerous.
Abortion providers are providing essential health care and they deserve to do their jobs without this kind of harassment any day, but especially during this public health crisis. The National Abortion Federation has been tracking incidents of violence and disruption targeting abortion providers for more than 40 years, and continues to see an escalation in harassment, threats, and violence towards abortion providers. This kind of behavior is always unacceptable; in this moment, the persistence of anti-abortion protesters in gathering en masse outside of clinics is a public health issue that must be addressed.
Now is not the time to be playing politics with people’s lives. Law enforcement must enforce current orders to restrict gatherings and travel. And leaders in the anti-abortion movement should stop instructing their followers to blatantly ignore public health guidance and condemn protests and gatherings outside abortion clinics.
We are all being asked to do our part and modify our actions for the health and safety of our nation; anti-abortion protesters are not exempt from this duty.
