The Nation - News from July 2, 1989

More than 150 abortion foes were arrested as activists on both sides of the issue took to the streets two days before the U.S. Supreme Court was expected to rule on a Missouri abortion law that restricts abortion and defines life as beginning at conception. The arrests included 103 in Philadelphia and 40 in Romulus, Mich. A spokeswoman for the Philadelphia group said more than 100 people protested for 2 1/2 hours by kneeling or sitting in front of the doors of the Northeast Women’s Center. In Romulus, about 400 protesters, some favoring abortion rights and some opposed, descended on a clinic. The 40 people arrested on trespassing charges were trying to block the entrance to a family planning clinic, police said. Smaller protests were also reported in Des Moines and in Durham, N.C., with seven arrests at each city.