On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Stephen Jordi of Coconut Creek, Florida for planning to bomb “an unspecified number” of abortion clinics. According to the FBI, Jordi was “perilously close” to starting his bombing campaign, according to the Associated Press. The FBI had been watching Jordi since August after receiving a tip from his brother, Michael Jordi, that Stephan Jordi was planning to attack abortion clinics. In September 2003, Stephan Jordi attended the anti-abortion activities surrounding the execution of Paul Hill. Hill was executed on September 3, 2003 for the murder of abortion provider Dr. John Britton and his volunteer escort, Lt. Col. James Barrett; his execution served as a rallying point for the most extreme members of the anti-abortion movement, including those who advocate violence against abortion providers. Before his execution, Hill showed no remorse, stating, “I think it was a good thing, and instead of being shocked, more people should do what I did. I think more people should act as I acted,” according to the Associated Press. Although severe clinic violence is down from its peak in 1994, “our national clinic violence survey reveals that violence is still threatening our nation’s clinics at an intolerable level,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. The most recent survey found that levels of severe violence have slightly increased in the past two years, from 20 percent of clinics experiencing severe violence in 2000 to 23 percent in 2002. FMF’s National Clinic Access Project is the largest of its kind in the US, leading efforts to keep women’s health clinics open in the face of a war of attrition waged by abortion opponents. DONATE to the Feminist Majority Foundation and support our National Clinic Access Project
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