Defying norms of “Social Distancing”, anti-abortion protesters all over the country are still gathering in groups larger than 10 in front of abortion clinics, and not staying 6 feet apart. They feel that “the corona virus is a punishment from God for abortion” and that therefore they can take advantage of this situation to ratchet up their harassment of women.
Clinics report that they come up to patient cars and touch them. The protesters are harassing the patient support people that are staying in their cars to avoid crowding the waiting rooms. They are attempting to touch patients and clinic escorts as they enter and exit the building. Since some white nationalist groups have declared the coronavirus to be a weapon, it’s not much of a stretch to fathom that the same is going on here. How do we know if one of these protesters is positive and intentionally trying to infect people?
This activity is contrary to all guidelines related to COVID-19. These are the same people that believe this pandemic is not a serious situation. They are so obsessed with “fetal life” that they are putting real people’s lives in danger. Police departments need to put a stop to this immediately.
Clinics are feeling greater pressure than ever to stay open in this environment and take care of patients. The Ohio Attorney General even recently tried to shut down all clinics, claiming that abortion was an “elective procedure”. Some clinics have closed totally for the next few weeks. Others are cutting back their hours. This makes options more elusive for women. Clinics are telling me that desperate women are crying on the phone.
It has also been reported that many women are putting off their abortions because their local clinic may be closed, and there isn’t a clinic close to home. Also, other women with a wanted pregnancy are getting abortions because they don’t want to bring a child into this toxic world. Clinics have reported a surge in late abortions of women desperately choosing to abort their wanted pregnancies because of scares about the coronavirus.
Birthing is currently a frightening prospect with hospitals beginning to be overrun by coronavirus cases. And people still find time to harass women at abortion clinics.