Abortion Protest in Louisiana Vocal but Not Physical

BATON ROUGE, La. —  About 1,500 anti-abortion demonstrators shouted, prayed and sang hymns Saturday outside the only abortion clinic in Baton Rouge, but they did not try to shut it down.

“Don’t try and stop them,” Kim Carmouche, head of the new Operation Rescue Louisiana, told one protester. “We’re primarily here to make our presence known. If you want to preach, you can. If you want to sing, you can do that too.”

Operation Rescue forces shouted: “The blood is on your hands” as drivers pulled through the gates and left eight women at the clinic. About 300 abortion-rights advocates chanted back: “A fetus ain’t a baby until it comes out. That’s what birthdays are all about.”

The crowds were as big as those for nationally sponsored protests earlier this month, but they were quieter and left earlier. Anti-abortion forces had dramatic physical clashes with police from July 6-12. There were more than 50 arrests.

Nearly 20 patients had appointments on Saturday, and all were in by 9:30 a.m., an official said. Almost all of the anti-abortion demonstrators had left by 10:30 a.m.