CONCLUSION: Abortion Denied Threatens Women's Lives

By destroying clinics and impeding access to clinic facilities, these tactics of violence and intimidation threaten the lives of women seeking abortions. In Bakersfield, California, a clinic was totally destroyed by an early morning blaze on September 20. The Bakersfield clinic was the only facility that provided abortions in this poor Central California region north of Los Angeles. The county has the highest teenage pregnancy rate for 10-to-14-year-olds in California. One young woman, already raising a child, was asked by a Los Angeles Times reporter whether she would consider abortion even though no other clinic or doctor's office in Bakersfield performed abortions. The woman responded: "Of course I will. If I can't get one, I'll try to do it myself."