Thread by @StephHerold

On March 10, 1993, an anti-abortion terrorist murdered Dr. David Gunn. Before shooting Dr. Gunn three times, he yelled, "Don't kill any more babies."

Dr. Gunn was 47. He provided abortions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, when few others would. newsweek.com/death-doctor-g…

According to Dr. Gunn's son David, his dad performed abortions because other doctors wouldn't.

After his murder, local anti-abortion groups called his death "unfortunate" & also said: "quite a number of babies’ lives will be saved.” Grotesque commentary. history.com/this-day-in-hi…

Today is National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day to honor and remember abortion providers injured or killed for doing their jobs. They are:

- Dr. David Gunn, killed by Michael Griffin, March 1993
- Dr. John Bayard Britton, killed by Paul J. Hill, July 1994

- Clinic volunteer James H. Barrett, killed by Paul J. Hill, July 1994
- June Barrett, wounded by Paul J. Hill, July 1994
- Two abortion clinic receptionists, killed by John Salvi in Dec 1994. He injured 5 others.

- Dr. Barnett Slepian, murdered by James Kopp, Oct 1998. Kopp tried to murder abortion provider Dr. Hugh Short, shooting him in the arms.
- Robert Sanderson, abortion clinic security guard, killed by Eric Rudolph, Jan 1998. This attack left nurse Emily Lyons maimed & half blind.

- Dr. George Tiller, killed by Scott Roeder, May 2009. Dr. Tiller was also shot in the arms by Shelley Shannon in 1993.

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

- A police officer and two civilians were killed by Robert Lewis Dear Jr at Planned Parenthood Colorado Springs, November 2015. Nine others injured.

These events are only the most violent ones.

@NatAbortionFed tracks all violence against providers.They report: "In 2017, trespassing more than tripled, death threats nearly doubled, and incidents of obstruction rose from 580 in 2016 to more than 1,700 in 2017."

You can see the statistics for yourself: prochoice.org/wp-content/upl…

And scroll through their database that catalogues every reported violent incident, including anthrax attacks, acid attacks, arson/bombings, murders/shootings, and extreme violence: prochoice.org/education-and-…

Given this history of violence, it is incumbent on ALL OF US to support abortion providers - clinicians, receptionists, nurses, counselors, MAs, doulas, volunteers, everyone who makes abortion care possible.

What are YOU doing to support abortion providers in your community?

#CelebrateAbortionProviders by:
- Sending a postcard to a local clinic saying how much you appreciate them. Find them here: abortioncarenetwork.org/abortion-care-…

- Donate to @AbortionCare: abortioncarenetwork.org/donation/

- Share articles that humanize abortion providers: rewire.news/article/2019/0…

- Share gorgeous art by @RepealHydeArtPr that honors abortion providers

- Fill out this easy form from @AbortionCare to show providers love & support: abortioncarenetwork.org/celebrate-abor…

- Donate to your local @AbortionFunds to make sure people can access care with their local provider: abortionfunds.org/need-abortion/

#CelebrateAbortionProviders today & every day.