Supporters of Dr. LeRoy Carhart's abortion clinic outnumbered opponents during a nearly five-hour protest today in Bellevue.
About 50 anti-abortion demonstrators prayed at the south side of the clinic. Some were repeating the Hail Mary and Our Father. Some knelt on the ground. Many held rosaries.
About 100 supporters of abortion rights gathered in front of the clinic, many well ahead of the 8 a.m. demonstration start by anti-abortion groups.
By 1 p.m. most of the abortion protesters were gone. About that time, pro-choice advocates began to depart, too. An hour later, just about 20 of the pro-choice advocates remained.
Both sides had promised a peaceful demonstration. And that's what it was.
"No conflicts at all," Bellevue police Lt. Chuck Clark reported. "It was great."
Supporters held signs with messages like “Dr. Carhart is a hero.” They also passed out granola bars and condoms. When a car arrived at the clinic, supporters chanted "Welcome, welcome. This clinic stays open."
Kat Givens, 50, of Akron, Ohio, had been in front of the clinic since 5 a.m. She carpooled to get to Omaha. “I believe that a woman has a right to control her own reproduction,” she said.
Linda Lytle, 37, of Omaha held a a sign reading "Adoption is the loving choice."
She said she prays often for the closure of the clinic.
"Every child is a wonderful miracle," she said.
Parts of Mission Avenue, Bert Murphy Boulevard, Fort Crook Road and Harlan Lewis Road were closed Saturday morning by Bellevue police because of the protest. Roads reopened by 12:30 p.m. Police in riot gear gathered about a block away from the clinic as the demonstration started.
Operation Rescue, Rescue the Heartland and Nebraskans United for Life organized today's protest to pray in front of Carhart's clinic, 1002 W. Mission Ave., and to approach women arriving for scheduled abortions.
Several national and local abortion rights organizations, including the National Organization for Women, organized the counterprotest on the sidewalk in front of the clinic. They also said they would shield any arriving patients from the anti-abortion demonstrators.
Troy Newman of Operation Rescue arrived late morning and walked the sidewalk where the pro-choice supporters were gathered, trying to pass out papers. The paper had the image of what Newman said was a sonogram of a fetus of a woman who had been counseled by his group not to have an abortion. The paper said the fetus was 11 weeks, 4 days old.
No one took the paper or spoke to him; some turned their backs or held up their signs to block him. There was no confrontation. Instead the occassional chanting resumed.
Throughout the morning, the chant (“Welcome, welcome. This clinic stays open.”) grew loud from pro-choice supporters whenever anyone drove into the clinic lot.
Across the way, the anti-abortion group mostly quietly recited prayers; one man shouted at times. Some carried large, graphic signs. Others stood with red tape over their mouths with the word "life" written on the tape.
Carhart became the target of a national anti-abortion campaign when he said he would offer third trimester abortions temporarily at the Abortion and Contraception Clinic of Nebraska in Olde Towne Bellevue. He said he would perform the abortions there until he could open a clinic elsewhere in the Midwest.
Previously, when women sought abortions past the 22nd week of pregnancy, Carhart referred them to his friend Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kan. Tiller was fatally shot May 31.
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