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Fire Damages Florida Abortion Clinic; Authorities Suspect Firebomb
(Kaisernetwork) A fire that broke out on Friday at a Palm Beach County, Fla., abortion clinic may have been caused by a firebomb, according to local authorities, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The fire started at approximately 11:09 p.m. when someone poured flammable liquid on the door and through the mail slot of Dr. Michael Benjamin's office at the Women's Care Centers of Florida clinic (Fooksman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/4).
Although most of the damage was contained in the building, windows were broken and the roof was "blackened," according to the Palm Beach Post (Sorentrue, Palm Beach Post, 7/4).
Dale Armstrong, resident agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' office in West Palm Beach, said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was "purposefully" started, according to the AP/Miami Herald. "It's a common method: break a window, throw in an accelerant," Armstrong said (AP/Miami Herald, 7/3).
The clinic opened seven months ago and "[s]mall" groups of antiabortion protestors have gathered across the street from the building every other Saturday, according to the Post (Palm Beach Post, 7/4).
Susan Pine, president of Face Life, a local antiabortion group that organized two vigils in front of the clinic when it opened, said that her group was not responsible for the fire, according to the Sun-Sentinel. "Our activists are nonviolent, churchgoing people who would have no thoughts of doing something like that," Pine said, adding, "It's not what pro-lifer people believe in." Rich Giesman of Palm Beach County Right to Life, a group whose members "regularly" pray across the street from the clinic, said that he shares Pine's "philosophy," according to the Sun-Sentinel. "For us, it's about conversion," Giesman said, adding, "It's not about doing damage to property." According to the National Abortion Federation, there has been one confirmed case of arson against an abortion clinic in the United States and Canada this year. There were three such incidents in 2003, one in 2002 and two in 2001, according to NAF, the Sun-Sentinel reports (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/4).
(c) 2004 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation
Source: Kaisernetwork
Publish Date: July 6, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/040706/6
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