Abortion

Anti-Choice Terrorism in Georgia May Be Having Its Intended Effect On Witnesses And Politicians

As police continue to investigate clinic terrorism, doctors are expressing concerns about testifying against legislation in the future.

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Last year, doctors in Georgia expressed concern that they were being targeted after they had testified at the capitol in opposition to the proposed 20-week ban on abortion in Georgia. The office break-ins at Atlanta clinics that occurred during periods of heated debate weren’t initially believed to be related to the bill heading through the legislature, and lawmakers dismissed their concerns as overly paranoid.

But now that those same doctors have seen the offenses escalate from break-ins to arson, more people are willing to take them seriously. Unfortunately, the violence has had its intended effect. Physicians are saying they are “skittish” about testifying for any other bills, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

It looks like they should be, too. Whomever is committing these crimes appears to have unusually detailed information on their activities, according to the newspaper.

Four physicians interviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, some of whom declined to be named, said they suspected — but could not prove — that whoever targeted their clinics was exceptionally well informed about their activities in the Capitol during the 40 days of the session. Even those activities that occurred out of the public eye.

“The circle of people is not that large,” said John Walraven, a lobbyist for the Infertility and Perinatology Consortium of Georgia. “That’s what’s creepy about it.”

Dr. Jeffrey Korotkin says anti-abortion activists are behind a campaign of intimidation. Korotkin was set to testify at the same public hearing that Zane attended.

Korotkin, who specializes in treating women with high-risk pregnancies, changed his mind about returning to the Capitol this year after his office received a deluge of threatening phone calls in the days leading up to the hearing. The calls stopped, he said, after he decided against testifying.

The FBI has released a sketch of a person of interest, but other than that has released no additional information about a suspect.