Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate spoke out against the killing of a late-term abortion doctor in Kansas May 31, saying it does not affect their stance on the creation of a new abortion clinic at the Madison Surgery Center.
UW Hospital approved the creation of the clinic at the Madison Surgery Center in February, following the retirement of Dr. Dennis Christiansen, who was previously the only provider of second-term abortions in Madison.
But the creation of the clinic still evokes controversy, especially after the recent murder of Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider in Kansas.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said the incident will not hinder the anti-abortion movement from continuing to protest against the clinic. She said the actions against Tiller were in no way connected to the anti-abortion movement.
""We see nothing of what one deranged person in Kansas did in affecting our push to stop the clinic from opening,"" she said.
According to Tanya Atkinson, interim vice president of public affairs and education at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood still strongly supports UW Hospital's decision to create the clinic at the Madison Surgery Center.
""They are providing a very important reproductive health-care service that was not already available in Madison,"" she said.
Atkinson said she encourages people to work on preventing unwanted pregnancies rather than act out violently against abortions.
""The staff of Planned Parenthood honestly will prevent more abortions in a week than harassing tactics will prevent in their lifetime,"" she said. ""We hope people focus on the prevention tactics rather than abortions.""
Both anti-abortion and abortion rights groups in Wisconsin say they were deeply saddened by the murder of Tiller and do not promote any acts of violence in abortion-related protest.
""We believe this is a tragedy that should never have occurred,"" Lyons said. ""The Right to Life movement works for peaceful means of protest.""
The abortion clinic at the Madison Surgery Center has not yet opened its doors to patients, but it will become the only provider of second-trimester abortions in Madison.
