These days it seems we can't open the paper without news of another anthrax scare. The crisis is new to most of us. But for women and men who work in family planning and women's health clinics, anthrax threats are a regular occurance. Just last week the U.S. Justice Department announced it has identified Clayton Lee Waagner as responsible for hundreds of anthrax scares at women's clinics, including three in New Hampshire. But as NHPR's Dan Gorenstein reports, state and federal officials have ignorned people who have been targets longer than anyone else in the nation.
These days it seems we can't open the paper without news of another anthrax scare. The crisis is new to most of us. But for women and men who weork in family planning and women's health clinics, anthrax threats are a regular occurance. Just last week the U.S. Justice Department announced it has identified Clayton Lee Waagner as responsible for hundreds of anthrax scares at women's clinics, including three in New Hampshire. But as NHPR's Dan Gorenstein reports, state and federal officials have ignorned people who have been targets longer than anyone else in the nation.
Last May Kudra MacCalliech watched as the Concord Feminist Health Center burned. She suspected arson. So do local police and fire departments as well as federal ATF officials. Last month, just six months later, MacCalliech found a strange piece of mail was on her desk.
8:31 I didn't recognize the name on the return address of the label from the National Abortion Federation. That's very unusual, I should be able to recognize everything from there, and it should have been addressed to me, and it felt suspicious enough, a federal express package coming without being addressed to someone specifically from this organization that I took it outside, handled it with gloves, had bio-hazard bags, had a mask, and glasses on, and there was no exposure to the clinic, and that's what they hope for, the clinic will be shut down, until they prove it is not anthrax. And in that time, which could take upwards of a week, your clinic is shut down.
The story may sound dramatic. But dealing with domestic terrorism is part of the job description at women's health clinics, especially those that offer abortion services. But while these health care workers have to be ready for the worst every day, the threat has become increasingly familiar to those outside women's reproductive health centers.
On October 31st, Governor Shaheen, and Attorney General Phil McLaughlin proposed stiffer penalties for biological and chemical hoaxes. The intended message of the bill is that the state will not tolerate these threats. But New Hampshire Attorney General Phil McLaughlin admits he never considered asking those who are regularly targets of terrorist threats for any expertise they may have.
19:26 within the NH feminist community, there may be a level of expertise which goes to the question of prevention of deterents. My hope is if there that expertise, we would know of it here, rather b/c of the extraordinary links between our offices and the domestic violence community, and women groups. However, the point is, they either do or don't have that expertise, and if they do I can't imagine any logical discussion which we wouldn't seek out their input. I can assure you I will have my people reach out to those groups and see if they can be of assistance.
McLaughlin's position is 180 degrees away from that of Attorney General John Ashcroft. Back in June, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and other national organizations have invited Ashcroft for a meeting to share information. The groups say they have lists of those engaged in criminal activity, and they want to demonstrate their procedures to keep employees and patients safe.
10:55 I am sorry to say, as of now, we haven't had those meetings.
Ann Glazer directs security for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
17:48 when the leadership keeps acting like they are ignoring what is happening to us, it sort of gives it the ok for people to dismiss anything we would say, and I think that should be a tremendous concern, b/c we do have a lot of good things to say, lessons learned, and we are the victim of a criminal attack.
Since 1998, Planned Parenthood offices and clinics nationwide have received more than 500 anthrax threats. There has been one arrest. For NHPR News, I'm DG
