In the wake of the 25th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, another abortion clinic was bombed Thursday, leaving University abortion supporters and opponents aghast.
New Women, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Ala. shook with an explosion that killed one and injured another at 7:30 a.m.
An off-duty police officer who had just started his shift as a security guard at the clinic was killed instantly. A nurse at the scene was taken to a nearby hospital for operation.
The clinic has been a site of controversy over the past years, however no reports of serious threats had been made to the clinic recently, according to the Associated Press.
The explosion was felt in nearby dormitories at the University of Alabama’s Birmingham campus a block away and left a crater in the ground at the scene. This is the first time a bomb set off in an abortion clinic has killed anyone in the United States.
Though the bombing has University officials concerned, they say the University community has nothing to worry about. No bomb threats have been made to any clinics in the area presently, said University Police Sgt. Joe May.
Ryan Davenport, spokesman for media relations for the Fairview University Medical Center, also confirmed that no bomb threats have ever been made.
But some clinics have had different scenarios.
“Over the years, Planned Parenthood clinics certainly have been threatened,” said Lisa McDonald-Wright,spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood. She said the clinic in Brainerd, Minn., was firebombed a few years ago. That clinic was a family planning center — not an abortion facility.
“It heightens our awareness of what’s going on out there,” McDonald-Wright said. “And we are providing a safe environment for our patients and staff.”
“It doesn’t really change the issue,” said Deille Minor, a member of Students for New Life, a University abortions-opponents group. “If one is really pro-life, they respect all life from conception to death. I’m definitely disappointed,” she said.
Although University hospital officials are taking no extra precautionary measures, they said they will continue to watch for threats.
“It takes a pretty sick and frustrated person to do something like that,” May said.”Once you get down below the surface, there’s usually a bigger issue there.”