Edward M. Kennedy: “This legislation will protect women, doctors, nurses, and other health providers from the tactics of violence and…”

“This legislation will protect women, doctors, nurses, and other health providers from the tactics of violence and intimidation that have closed clinics, forced doctors to wear bulletproof vests, and blocked access to reproductive health care across the country. So far this year, dozens of new blockades, acts of vandalism, death threats, assaults against abortion providers, attempted bombings, and bomb threats have been carried out against clinics, their patients, and their personnel. More than 1,000 acts of violence against abortion providers, over 100 cases of arson and bombings, and hundreds of blockades, invasions and acts of vandalism against clinics have been documented throughout the country over the past 15 years. This legislation is designed to prevent this reprehensible conduct and ensure that it will be punished when it occurs. It establishes a new Federal criminal offense prohibiting force, threat of force, physical obstruction or destruction of property intended to interfere with access to reproductive health services.”