ARTICLES
September 2005 ARTICLES
Contents © 2005
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Such Women Always Are Sad
Protest at Westwood Abortion Clinic
BY MARIA KENNEDY
On July 30, San Fernando Valley pro-lifers held a rally in front of the Family Planning Associates' clinic in Mission Hills. Tracy Shepard, co-chair of the Respect Life Group at St. Bernardine of Siena in Woodland Hills, organized the event to show that Family Planning Associates performs abortions up to 24 weeks. The group gathered at 9 a.m. Because Shepard had notified the Los Angeles police department in advance, a patrol car was stationed across the street.
The group of approximately 20 people held signs and prayed for an end to abortion. Pro-life demonstrators came from as far away as San Diego. Luis and Tricia Mendoza of San Diego came with a life-sized portrait of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The abortion clinic is located on Sepulveda Boulevard, which has a high volume of traffic. Most of the cars passing by honked in support of the demonstrators. "We were very pleasantly surprised by all honks and thumbs-up we got from passers-by as we stood in front of the clinic at our rally," Shepard said. But one irate man drove his truck towards the pro-lifers, shouting, "thou shall not judge!" Because the man stopped his truck in a red zone, the squad car pursued him as he left.
A security guard was stationed at the clinic's front door, apparently to keep the pro-lifers from entering the clinic. Initially, he sat stonily on a chair at the front door; but as the demonstration proceeded, and the demonstrators were neither violent nor disrespectful, his demeanor softened. I spoke with the guard, telling of the cases of botched abortions in clinics; he told me he thought that doctors who did such things should be prosecuted. A clinic worker then came out of the clinic in scrubs and joined him. The clinic worker agreed that bad doctors should be put out of business. When told that clinic operators, such a Bertha Bugarin in Panorama City, pass out flyers offering discounts to draw women into their clinics, both shook their heads in disbelief.
As I was speaking to the guard and clinic worker, a couple came out of the clinic. From their sad demeanor it was apparent that the young woman had just had an abortion. The guard said that such women always are sad. One pro-lifer approached the couple to tell them about post-abortion counseling. He said that it was apparent the young woman had just had an abortion.
At noon the pro-lifers began to disperse.
"A number of Catholic churches, the Knights of Columbus, local businesses and residents turned out to protest the existence of the Family Planning Clinic in Mission Hills," Shepard said. "Family Planning aborts healthy babies to 24 weeks and I am completely horrified by this. We have joined forces with other local churches and have people out in front of this abortuary every day that abortions are performed, offering these women in crisis pregnancies alternatives to killing their babies. Luckily we have the Pregnancy Counseling Center directly across the street, which provides a wealth of resources to these women as well."
Shepard noted that on August 16 the committee would be putting up a large billboard across the street from the abortion clinic so women can know there are alternatives to abortion. "We hope our billboard will help these women going in for abortions realize that they are killing a helpless baby."
Readers may contact the Pregnancy Counseling Center at 10211 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills; (818) 895-2500.