Anti-abortion activists guilty

By YEHUDA SUGAR

CHICAGO, April 20 (UPI) _ A federal jury today found anti-abortion crusaders guilty on 21 counts of extortion in their nationwide campaign to close down the abortion industry.

A four-woman, two-man jury deliberated for three days before arriving at the verdict in the case involving a novel application of federal racketeering laws.

The decision will effectively ban anti-abortion protesters from using forceful tactics to prevent patients or employees from entering U.S. abortion clinics.

Lead plaintiff's attorney Lowell Sachnoff said: ``Today's courageous decision will stop the reign of terror against abortion providers and ensure access to abortion services as guaranteed under Roe vs. Wade.''

Anti-abortion activist Joseph Scheidler says he will appeal the jury's decision. He says the verdict will not stop his efforts to prevent abortions. ``We've been expecting that something might come down like this for the past 12 years. It's not going to curtail our pro-life activities to save babies. I'm in this fight till the day I die.''

Filed 12 years ago by the National Organizaton for Woman and two abortion clinics, the class-action suit accused Scheidler, his Pro-Life Action League, activists Tim Murphy and Andrew Scholberg, and Operation Rescue of violating racketeering laws by organizing and participating in demonstrations that involved the blockage of clinics with human bodies, bike locks and vehicles.

In addition to the guilty verdict, the jury awarded $85,926 to the two abortion clinics to cover security costs. The award will be trebled under the racketeering statute.

U.S. District Judge Judge David Coar had told jurors they only needed to find the defendants committed two acts of extortion in a 10 year period to be held liable under RICO. Preventing any patient or staff person from entering a health facility could be considered extortion in the context of the trial.

Evidence presented in the six week trial showed that women were prevented from entering abortion clinics for up to three days by blockades. Patients, doctors and other clinic staff members testified they were sometimes verbally harassed and, in a handful of cases, physically assaulted.

The defense argued that the blockades, sidewalk counseling, song and prayer vigils and peaceful sit-ins were all within the bounds of legal civil disobedience and First Amendment rights.

Defense attorneys appealed to the jury to view abortion as murder, thereby neccesitating the most extreme protest activities allowable under the law.

To dramatize their case, they brought to the stand luminaries in the annals of the abortion issue, such as the two who made it possible through their Supreme Court cases for women to have legal abortions: Norma McCorvey, the ``Roe'' in the famous 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision and Sandra Cano, the ``Doe'' in the Doe vs. Bolton companion case. Both have since become vocal anti-abortion activists.

Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill, testified as a character witness for Scheidler, claiming he supported the activist and his tactics despite their questionable status under the law.

-- Copyright 1998 by United Press International.