She bristles at the idea that restrictive abortion clinic laws, like those in Texas, have been passed to "protect women", as if we are toddlers.
The conservative far right, which has fueled an unprecedented assault on access to abortion across numerous states (including laws that have shut down abortion clinics, laws that could see women fired or evicted for having abortions, and efforts to defund Planned Parenthood), is unlikely to be swayed left by such an offering. .
Mr. Ashcroft's stance on the clinic protection law became an issue at his Senate confirmation hearing in 2001.
Since Congress passed the clinic protection law in 1994 in response to an outbreak of violence at clinics, the Justice Department has brought 43 criminal prosecutions, with 7 cases coming since 2001, according to department data.
Eric Lipton (NYT) ALBANY: CLINIC ACCESS LAW -- Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer filed the first case yesterday under a new state statute designed to preserve patient access to clinics that provide abortions.
The bill became part of the mayoral debate yesterday, with Alan G. Hevesi, the city comptroller, challenging the position of the City Council speaker, Peter F. Vallone, on the need to expand the city's existing clinic access law.
Proponents say the bill is an important clarification of the city's existing clinic access law, passed in 1994, which prohibits people from intentionally keeping others from obtaining health or counseling services by blocking, following or harassing them.
In a 1994 incident, Mr. Bird was convicted under the clinic protection law after he smashed a bottle against the windshield of the car of a doctor who provided abortions.
"We are confident the federal district court will once again see through the sham justifications for this underhanded clinic shutdown law and ultimately strike it down permanently as a gross violation of women's constitutional rights".
Whole Woman's Health follows an appeals court ruling that upheld the Texas clinic shutdown law.
