Petition: Tell DOJ to investigate clinic violence as terrorism

[Panich52]

email I received from NARAL

There are few words to convey the sadness and the anger that I feel today.

On Friday, a heavily armed man opened fire in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Before he surrendered to authorities, he injured nine people and killed three, including police officer Garrett Swasey, who had served in the Colorado Springs Police Department for six years. My prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrifying attack, especially our friends and allies at Planned Parenthood. I'm also so grateful for the bravery of the first responders and law enforcement officers for doing all they could to save lives.

I'll be honest: My mind is racing right right now. While the authorities have yet to release all the details, we know two things for sure: The FBI has been warning of increased attacks on clinics since September, and this type of attack is all too common in the history of an extreme anti-choice movement.1

While we can't bring back those who died, and we can't promise there won't be more attacks on doctors and women, we can do something about it. Join me right now in calling on the Department of Justice to investigate and to call clinic violence what it is: domestic terrorism. Your signature is more important than ever as we prepare to deliver these petitions—along with those gathered by our allied organizations, including UltraViolet, CREDO and the Courage Campaign—directly to the DOJ this week.

I went to sleep last night thinking about women. How we deserve the dignity to decide when to end a pregnancy. How our decisions should be free from judgement and definitely, at the very least, free from the fear of violence and death. I thought about the doctors who have given their lives in service of women and the ones who should be able to go to work every day without wearing bulletproof vests. And I thought about how these extremists—even after shooting nine people—can surrender alive, when that basic right is not afforded to so many people who have done far less.

But mostly, I have been thinking that this attack is one in a long line of arsons, firebombings and murders that have been perpetrated against facilities, doctors, and clinic staff that serve us—women—when we most need them. And it has to stop. Now.

Tyranny like this thrives on the silence of the majority. We can stop this if we stand together. It won't be an easy fight, but we can start with an easy step. Stand with me and SIGN NOW to tell the Department of Justice that clinic violence is domestic terrorism.

We stand united. We won't back down.

Thank you for your strength, your will, and your bravery.


Ilyse Hogue
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America

Petition link:
http://actnow.prochoiceamerica.org/sign/151006_clinicviolence?source=twitter#.Vlx84_xdiD5.twitter


Sources:

1.
FBI warned of Planned Parenthood attacks months ago, CBS News,, November 27, 2015.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-colorado-springs-fbi-warned-of-threats-months-ago/

[niyad]

1. but we are watching the local officials twisting themselves into pretzels pretending that the

murdering rampage at PP on friday was something other than homegrown, white, domestic terrorism.