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Abortion Clinic
An abortion clinic is a licensed facility for the
termination of pregnancy. This does not include a
hospital or a physician's office that is not used
primarily for the performance of pregnancy terminations,
but in which abortions are performed.
Initial/Renewal License Requirements
Facilities must meet license requirements through the
submission of a completed application, required
documentation, and completion of a satisfactory survey.
A license must be renewed annually with a completed
application submitted at least 60 days in advance of
expiration of a license.
Abortion
Clinic Violence
The
perpetrators of abortion clinic violence have proved to
be vulnerable to the Federal laws ATF enforces. Since
1982, there have been 169 arsons and/or bombings of
abortion clinics. Seventy-seven of these incidents have
been solved by a partnership consisting of ATF and State
and local counterparts, resulting either in arrests,
convictions, indictments, and/or incarcerations in
prison facilities or State mental institutions.
Reemphasizing
ATF's commitment to a combined effort toward
investigating arsons and bombings directed at abortion
providers and family planning clinics is a national
program established in conjunction with the National
Abortion Federation and the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America. As part of this program, the
National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood,
with the help of an anonymous donor, established a
reward of up to $100,000 per incident for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of persons
responsible for arson fires, bombings, and serious acts
of violence at abortion and family planning clinics. ATF
in turn set up a hotline to receive this information.
This number is 1-888-ATF-BOMB.
Historically,
ATF's State and local counterparts have played a vital
role in these investigations. However, they have also
had to shoulder the responsibility for responding to the
numerous anti-abortion threats and incidents of
vandalism and harassment. Until the passage of the
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, these
types of crimes were not under the jurisdiction of
Federal agencies. In furtherance of Federal efforts
against this violence, the Attorney General designated a
task force comprised of ATF, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals
Service, and the Department of Justice to determine if a
national conspiracy or conspiracies exist. The task
force's investigation continues.
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