NATION NOW

Protesters plan to show abortion on jumbotron

Deborah Yetter and Tessa Weinberg
The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
Abortion protesters were monitored by Louisville Metro Police officers outside the EMW Women’s Surgical Center in the 100 block of West Market Street.  
May 13, 2017

LOUISVILLE  — Abortion opponents seeking to shut down Kentucky's last abortion clinic plan to bring a giant TV screen and show graphic images of abortions at Louisville Metro Hall next week as part of week-long protests.

Claiming Kentucky is "ground zero in the abortion wars," the groups Operation Save America and Created Equal announced Thursday they will bring their "Pro-Life JumboTron" to Louisville Metro Hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

The protests are aimed at closing the EMW Women's Surgical Center in Louisville, which is fighting efforts by the administration of Gov. Matt Bevin to revoke its license. If it closes, it would make Kentucky the only state with no abortion services.

The anti-abortion groups have planned a week of protests aimed at EMW from this Saturday through July 29.

The screen is 8 feet tall and 16 feet long and will be on top of a trailer, said Mark Herrington of Created Equal — the anti-abortion group supplying the screen from Columbus, Ohio. Between videos of abortions, messages about the clinic will be interspersed, Herrington said.

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"Nothing is as effective as the JumboTron video of an actual abortion shown in the public square," said a news release from the anti-abortion organizations. "Many Kentucky residents are still blinded from the truth about abortionists' lies and propaganda."

Louisville Clinic Escort Meg Stern said during a press conference Thursday that while the giant screen may be a step up from their usual signs, the tactic will not be warmly accepted from people on either side of the issue.

"These tactics have backfired on them in the past because even people who oppose abortion don't like these types of displays," Stern said. "So I'm not sure that they will be greeted with any more enthusiasm in Louisville than they have in other parts of the country."

The groups have a permit to set up the big TV, according to the Created Equal Facebook page.

The week-long national event comes shortly after a door was kicked in and the glass shattered at the clinic this past week, a Louisville Metro Police Department major said at a Metro Council Public Safety meeting.

In a press conference Thursday, Dr. Ernest Marshall, founder and provider of the EMW Women’s Surgical Center, said that he doesn't think violence at the clinic has increased because of groups like Operation Save America's focus on Louisville.

"I think that this type of violence, it goes along with the territory," Marshall said. "We're always on the alert for vandalism."

Marshall said he estimates the last time the clinic was vandalized may have been eight months to a year ago. While not frequent, acts of vandalism aren't rare either, he said.

The anti-abortion groups have attracted the attention of federal authorities, who are seeking a court order to prevent protesters from blocking the entrance for patients, as they did in May when 11 protesters were arrested at EMW.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's office in Louisville filed a motion seeking an order from U.S. District Judge David Hale to enforce the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances law, which bars people from blocking access to reproductive health centers.

It asks the judge to create a "buffer zone" outside the clinic to shield patients seeking to enter the clinic and asks that law enforcement be authorized to arrest anyone who violates the zone.

Federal prosecutors have asked for an emergency hearing on their request for the court order.

Thursday, Vincent Heuser Jr., a lawyer for the anti-abortion protesters named in the federal complaint, said the judge should reject the request.

"There is no emergency," Heuser said in his court filing.

Heuser said representatives of Operation Save America met with federal marshals and local police Thursday and pledged they do not plan protests similar to the one in May where 11 people were arrested.

Hale has not yet ruled on the motion.

Follow Deborah Yetter and Tessa Weinberg on Twitter: @d_yetter and @Tessa_Weinberg