The car bombing in Glasgow and attempted bombings in London have understandably been all over the news this weekend — after all, trying to blow up a car in order to kill and injure people and damage property in furtherance of your political ideals is a pretty big deal right?
Well, not when the terrorist is an anti-choice activist. This guy was sentenced on Friday for driving his car into a women’s health clinic and then trying to set it on fire. He thought he was bombing an abortion clinic. It turns out that the clinic doesn’t even provide abortions, but that’s neither here nor there — the bottom line is that it’s not terrorism when nice “pro-lifers” are doing it.
Now, the threat of international terrorism certainly feels more imminent and more random. The ideology behind it is ominous. Its backers have succeeded in carrying out devasating attacks.
But anti-choice terrorism is still terrorism. In the first post-9/11 anthrax scare, Planned Parenthood received more than 150 letters and packages containing white powder and threatening notes. The head of Pro-Life Virginia said that he supports the actions of the people sending the letters. A second wave of anthrax letters were sent out to another 200 abortion clinics and advocacy organizations.
There have been plenty of murders and attempted murders, stalkings, threats, firebombs, and arsons carried out by pro-lifers, but they’re rarely labelled “terrorism” — instead, they’re just par for the course.