Abortion foes plan 8-day rally in Jackson

Abortion foes plan 8-day rally in Jackson

By Kathleen Baydala
kbaydala@clarionledger.com

July 13, 2006 - A national anti-abortion organization is demanding closure of Mississippi's sole abortion clinic and has planned an eight-day rally throughout Jackson.

DETAILS The anti-abortion rally in Jackson is scheduled for Saturday through July 22.

The rally will begin Saturday, and demonstrators will gather in different places throughout the city. Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, likened the protest to storming "the gates of hell."

"Mississippi could become the first abortion-free state in our country," Benham said. "If it is ... then it sends a message to everyone, and here's the statement: Abortion will come to an end in America when the church of Jesus Christ makes up her mind that it will come to an end and not one second sooner."

But the clinic, the Jackson Women's Health Organization on State Street , does not plan to close.

"It's going to be there when they're gone," said Susan Hill, president of the National Women's Health Organization. The organization manages the clinic in Jackson , as well as five others throughout the country.

The Jackson Women's Health Organization became the last abortion clinic in Mississippi two years ago. Before the clinic opened in 1995, there were eight clinics in the state. It now sees roughly 4,000 women a year, Hill said.

Restrictions on practices passed by the state Legislature have made it more difficult and more expensive to perform abortions, Hill said.

In Mississippi , there is a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for patients between consultation, during which they receive counseling, and abortion. Patients under the age of 18 must obtain consent from both parents before seeking an abortion. And the clinic cannot perform abortions on women who are more than 12 weeks pregnant.

"There's no doubt that the Legislature's intent was to make it almost impossible to get an abortion in the state of Mississippi," Hill said.

But Benham said politics has nothing to do with closing clinics. Instead, he credited a change in public morality and people's attitudes about abortion.

"It's simple little moms and dads, grams and grampas, little boys and little girls living out their faith in the streets," he said. "Mothers are choosing life, and abortion is becoming stigmatized."

Betty Thompson, a consultant at the Jackson Women's Health Organization, said there are a number of concerns surrounding the rally - namely safety. The abortion clinic has brought in additional private security and surveillance, she said.

Benham said he does not anticipate any violence from demonstrators or passersby. He said his group will be praying and preaching.

The Jackson Police Department will be coordinating public safety measures during the rally and has plans to bring in other law enforcement agencies, such as the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, the Capitol Police, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol and the U.S. Marshal's Service.

"We've got just about everybody from the tri-county area," JPD Cmdr. Tyrone Lewis said. "Today, we did some joint training. We're expecting (the rally) to be peaceful and orderly on both sides."

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson on Tuesday said that police are preparing for 200 to 1,000 demonstrators.

Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said the rally won't be the first but probably will be the largest anti-abortion event in Jackson.

"We're going to prepare for an emergency, but we're not expecting to have one," he said.

Assistant City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said members of Operation Save America met with law enforcement officials Wednesday to discuss their right to demonstrate. The city has issued permits to the group, allowing them to demonstrate at places such as the Capitol and Smith Park.

"We are trying to balance the First Amendment rights of the demonstrators with the rights of the public in general," he said.

The anti-abortion rally in Jackson is scheduled for Saturday through July 22.