Toledo — NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Foundation has sponsored a billboard supporting the patients, volunteers, and staff members at reproductive health care facilities in the city. The billboard is at the corner of N. Haven Ave. and W. Sylvania Ave. in Toledo, one block from Capital Care Network, the city’s last remaining abortion clinic. An image of the billboard is attached.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland offered the following statement: “Protesters follow, harass and intimidate employees and patients as they enter and exit the building. Our Constitution guarantees the right to free speech, it does not guarantee the right to harass and intimidate. When harassment and intimidation are ignored, they can escalate to violence. We don’t want to see violent confrontations like what happened in Colorado Springs develop here. Polling shows that the vast majority of Americans believe that once a woman has made a decision to have an abortion, she should be able to have it in an environment that is respectful of her decision, and without stigma or political interference. But the exact opposite happens outside of our abortion providers every day. This behavior must end.”
According to the National Abortion Federation, eight abortion providers have been murdered since 1990. In 2015 there were 94 death threats, nine attempted murders, and three people were murdered at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs (http://5aa1b2xfmfh2e2mk03kk8rsx.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015-NAF-Violence-Disruption-Stats.pdf).
###