Supreme Court decision takes away tools to protect women from violent anti-choicers

The Supreme Court ruled today in Scheidler v. National Organization for Women that the federal racketeering and extortion laws can’t be used to stop anti-choice extremists from obstructing access to clinics, damaging property or using violence.

This case has been going on since 1986, when the National Organization for Women (NOW) brought a class action suit against anti-choice groups that had been violent and threatening in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America says that the decision “takes away a legal resource doctors, clinic employees and women could have used to protect themselves from the violent acts of these extreme anti-choice demonstrators.”

We can’t forget that violent protests are not a thing of the past--just in the past year there was an attempted firebombing at a Louisiana clinic and one incident of arson in Florida.