Duluth, Minn., abortion clinic |
A woman pulled a knife on a pro-life protester and held it to her throat outside an abortion clinic, two abortion protesters say.
The pro-lifers said they were confronted by 25-year-old Mechelle Talluah Hall as she entered the Building for Women in Duluth, Minn., Nov. 24.
"We asked the woman, 'Please don't take the life of your little unborn baby. We care about what happens to them,'" pro-lifer Sarah Winandy told KBJR-TV.
Winandy said that's when the woman pulled the knife out of her purse and attacked fellow abortion protester Leah Winandy.
"She said, 'Don't do this. Don't talk to me. Don't come near me!'" said Leah Winandy.
Leah Winandy |
According to the report, when Sarah went to help Leah, Hall allegedly threatened Sarah as well.
The clinic said the attack is a rare and isolated incident.
Police found Hall inside the clinic with a knife in her purse. She was taken into custody and transported to the St. Louis County Jail. Police say she is facing two counts of second-degree assault.
Laurie Casey, executive director of the abortion clinic, told the Duluth News Tribune she regrets that the incident occurred.
She said, "We abhor violence of any kind."
In September, another abortion protester was shot and killed while he participated in a pro-life rally outside an Owosso, Mich., high school.
James Pouillion, 63, a well-known pro-life advocate who wore leg braces and used an oxygen tank, was killed when several shots were fired at him from a passing car. Police arrested suspect Harlan James Drake, 33.
Pouillion reportedly protested outside abortion clinics for years and had been planning to stage a national protest against abortion at the Capitol.