EDITORIAL
Clinic shootings
hurt protesters
The r**< ent shootings at abortion clinics in
Massachusetts and Virginia illustrate the need to pro
tect clinics from the violence of radical anti-abortion
protesters
John Saivi Hi was arrested in Virginia last week on
i harges that he shot and killed two receptionists at two
Massachusetts abortion clinics Dec, to He is also
accused of firing into a clinic in Virginia,
Saivi is tin* latest in • string of people to express
thoir opposition to abortion violently, And he will
probably not bo tho last.
Some on the fringe of tho anti-abortion movement
justify tho shootings by arguing that murdering doctors
who perform abortions saves the lives of unborn fetus
es.
This typo of argument, although denounced by most
abortion opponents, does nothing to aid tho anti abor
tionists' cause. How "pro-life" is « murder?
Others claim that by keeping anti-abortion demon
strators from blockading clinic doors, clinics encourage
such a shooting by a radical. However, those who want
to murder doctors who perform abortions have demon
strated that they can kill their target, no matter how
(hallenging the task.
I.ast |uly, Paul Hill murdered Dr. John Bayard in
Florida, despite the fact that Bayard was wearing a bul
letproof vest and was accompanied by a protective
escort. The escort, James Barrett, also was murdered
Unfortunately. Saivi and Hill are but two of a long
list of people who der ided to express thoir opposition
to abortion by violent means.
Besides murders. opponents of abortion have also
vandalized clinics, threatened doctors and menaced
patients in order to further their goal of making abor
tion inaccessible to women,
A short-term answer to the violence would include
heavier security at abortion clinics, restricting access to
the clinic to those who need to bo inside: doctors, staff
and patients,
But a longer-term solution would be to convince
those on l>oth sides of the abortion issue that violence,
either for or against the right for a woman to have an
abortion, is unnecessary and detrac t» from logical dis
cussion of the issue.
it is easy to understand that emotion runs very high
on either side of the abortion debate. However, murder
ing doctors and clinic personnel does not change the
minds of those on either side of the issue.
Peaceful demonstrations are the most conducive way
for anti-abortion activists to express their feelings and
to get their message across. Unfortunately, the very few
violent demonstrators help to tarnish the entire group
of anti-abortion protesters.
The abortion Lssuo is already polarized enough.
Murdering doctors and other workers in abortion clin
ics does nothing to further the cause of the anti-abor
tion movement.
/ toffy
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■ OPINION
1994 not kinder, gentler as expected
When 1994 was a brand
new year, 1 remember
wading a prediction for
the year somewhere It said that
1‘fM would l>« a year of moving
forward, a year of progress, both
is onomii and s*h ial If we could
gauge HKH by a mood ring s col
or, it would bo tranquil blue.
Stock campaign phrases like
George Bush's "kinder, gentler
nation" was to Umnine a reality
Yeah, right
The year started with violence,
nastiness. d<s »»it. and so the tone
w as sel f irst we got a dose of the
the ugly side of competition The
Tonya and Nanc\ Show The
front-page soap opera of skater
sabotage swept the nation The
story was everywhere — another
cmlsirmssment for Oregon While
the country argued over who
would end up the boat skater in
the world, a young Ukrainian bal
lerina on skates. Oksana Hnyul.
wiped the ice with both Tonya's
and Nam v 's egos The mood ring
is turning, warming to a pink
now.
It only got warv In the spring.
>i bloody civil war broke out in
Rwanda It grabbed front page
news for a few days and then
retreated into the American
memory Rwanda's faraway; it
doesn't matter anyway. More
important things were happening
A woman in Virginia had lopped
off her husband's [amis because
he had boon abusing her But the
doctors sowed it back on. and we
were all forced to hear his woeful
siory as he apjiuarvd on every talk
show that would have him That
mood ring is deepening to a rosy
hue
O J. Simpson mania captured
tiie national attention next A glo
rified. alleged murderer folk hero,
whom everyone cheered on — or
made money off of We reveled
in the violence, salivated over
every bloody detail,
A crazed pro life zealot killed
a doc tor who performed abor
tions fie justified the killing by
saying that he had a responsibil
ity to kill someone who was
killing others. The law. howev
er. disagreed with him. He has
Gayu: Forman
been sentenced to death because
the law says that it is wrong to
kill someone ev en if that person
is killing others follow pro-lif
ers applauded this gunman's
de-ed, and other crazy Christians
have followed suit. The national
moot! ring is now fire-engine red
We found out that Anita Hill
had been telling the truth after
all, after a book revealed Clarence
Thomas' nasty habits Hut of
course it was too late Bob Pack
wood ruse above his 20 some odii
sexual harassment charges and
now has a powerful spot on the
.Senate Finance Committee. We
saw the Republicans suddenly
become very interested in sexu
al harassment when Paula Jones
accused Clinton of doing the
deed.
But nowhere did this nation's
kinder, gentler side bear its ugly
head more than during the
November election. Venom over
shadowed valor; cut downs
replaced construction. The most
regressive politicians hailed
themselves as the agents of
change Promises were made that
cannot be fulfilled He who spoke
loudest and most menacingly
won And the American people,
wanting change, tired of gridlock,
voted for those who have been
digging their heels in, pulling
against the tide of change for
years Those Americans that actu
ally voted, that is; most didn't
bother
So during 1994 we got Newt
Gingrich, drunk with power and
ready to rule the country Now in
he is waging .1 w ar igainsl
welfare mothers, threatening (O
cut their cash flow and sti< k their
kids in orphanages The man who
ditched his own family one u he
made it to Congress is out to rede
fine how the American family
should act. He has appointed
himself judge and jury of this
country and all its people, and
his wrath is a fiery one.
More gentle progression was
down in ( jdifomia, where voters
passed Proposition 187. to ban all
state aid for illegal aliens. Now
sick, kids won't get treated nor
will they get educated, creating
a whole new generation of dis
enfranchised. uneducated youth
The mood ring is on fire now.
Back in Lane Count>, a crazy
man knocked on a Springfield
woman’s door, and when she
opened the door, he shot her.
Kids are shooting each other on
school playgrounds. Towns like
Sweet Home now compare them
selves to gang meccas like Los
Angeles. Gang hysteria has swept
Eugene, though the kids involved
in the shootings are mostly white
and not Blood or Crip affiliated.
Everyone is panicking that
Eugene will lose its innocence
Meanwhile no one is asking
where these kids got their guns
from — usually from their par
ents, and folks continue to effuse
the glories of gun ownership.
The mood ring is gone now. It
was too hot to t*<ar, so we took it
off.
Apparently that kinder, gentler
year will have to come some time
later And with the way things
seem to be going so far. 1
wouldn't expect it any time soon.
Last year showed with ( hilling
clarity, what we as a nation con
sider to be our priorities: our
beliefs, our money, our children
Everyone is looking out for No.
1, and other people's bad news
doesn't matter.
Hut all is not lost While this
was a pretty sad year on this side
of the planet. 1994 brought an
event that many people never
guessed they would live to see.
In South Afric a, with the cast of
a simple vote, 400 years of
oppression ended. Just like that
How's that for gentle progress?
Gayle Forman is a columnist
for the Emerald.