NCJ Number
185032
Date Published
1999
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This seventh annual (1999) National Clinic Violence Survey measured anti-abortion violence and harassment over the past 12 months.
Abstract
In September 1999 surveys were mailed to 839 clinics in the United States. The universe of clinics was compiled by the Feminist Majority Foundation's National Clinic Access Project. A total of 360 abortion providers responded, yielding a response rate of 43 percent. The 360 clinics included clinics and private doctors' offices in 47 States and the District of Columbia. Types of facilities in the sample included nonprofit (41 percent), for-profit (36 percent), and doctor's offices (23 percent). Survey findings show that one in five (20 percent) clinics experienced severe anti-abortion violence in 1999, a slight decline from 22 percent in 1998. The severe violence included death threats, stalking, arsons, blockades, invasions, chemical attacks, bomb threats, and arson threats. Fewer clinics were free from violence in 1999, reversing a trend from previous years, with the percentage of clinics that had no violence declining from 64 percent in 1998 to 54 percent in 1999. Vandalism at clinics has more than doubled, and bomb threats are up slightly. Measured in this survey for the first time, 18 percent of the clinics reported harassment through the Internet Web. Anthrax threat attacks were experienced by 11 percent of the reporting clinics. All levels of law enforcement received higher "excellent" ratings in 1999, with local law enforcement yielding the largest net increase. The percentage of clinics that reported "strong" enforcement of their buffer zones nearly tripled from 14 percent to 39 percent in 1999. 7 figures