“The Rachel Maddow Show” on Thursday included a discussion with abortion provider LeRoy Carhart about recent threats from the antiabortionrights group Operation Rescue. According to Maddow, the group recently sent a fundraising letter to supporters “celebrating” the closing of Tillers Wichita clinic and “calling for action” against Carharts Nebraska clinic. The letter said that the group will be in Omaha and outside Carharts clinic Aug. 28 and 29 to “encourage and train prolifers” who are working to shut down Carharts clinic. Maddow reports that womens rights groups are encouraging supporters to attend counterprotests in Nebraska.

During her discussion with Carhart, Maddow asked how he and his staff were preparing for the protests. Carhart said the clinic has not canceled any appointments, adding that staff “have tried to meet with all the local authorities to ensure that, first of all, things remain peaceful, and second of all, that access for our clinic is not denied.” He also said that although local and national law enforcement authorities “are doing everything they can” to protect abortion providers and their staff, Congress “needs to get involved.” Carhart said the “biggest omission so far is that [Congress is] not identifying antiabortion terrorism as hate crimes,” citing Tillers murder as an example.

Carhart said he is training physicians and current abortion providers to perform the procedure in the second and third trimester. He said that “we tremendously miss the loss of Dr. Tiller” but that his death has been “a catalyst” and “helped to galvanize the movement for abortion providers” (Maddow, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC, 8/27).

Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Womens Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Womens Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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