Abortion is a legal right, and it needs to be protected.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By W.A. "Peter" Bours For The Register-Guard

Thirty-six years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe vs. Wade to legalize abortion. Although the majority of Americans support a woman's right to choose abortion, unfortunately there are still people - even in our own community - who violently oppose legalized abortion.

My wife and I established a private medical practice in Forest Grove in 1975, and began providing abortions in 1976. Throughout my career I have faced opposition, but have remained committed to providing women who are terminating their pregnancies with the same type of compassionate care that we offered in our home birth practice.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a moral and responsible choice. It is also a private decision women make in consultation with their partners, families and doctors. However, there are people who wish to interfere with this personal decision in order to advance their own ideology and an agenda of banning safe, legal abortion.

In recent years, our practice has been faced with escalating harassment from anti-abortion groups and individuals. We have seen an increase in the number of protesters who harass our patients and staff.

Last May, a man even went so far as to follow one of our patients into our Eugene clinic to harass her about her decision. He did not know her, or the specifics of her situation, yet he attempted to bully her into changing her mind. When clinic staff asked him to leave and called the police, he left the building, but later returned through a back door. This time he ignored requests from me and other clinic staff and refused to stop badgering our patient and leave the clinic.

As I attempted to escort him to the door, this 19-year-old young man, suddenly and without warning, cut loose with a barrage of punches, landing eight solid blows to my face and back. I and two medical assistants were subsequently successful in wrestling him to the ground and duct-taping his wrists behind his back and taping his ankles together. The police then arrived and arrested him.

The suspect was charged with assault and criminal trespass. Five months later, he made a deal with prosecutors and reluctantly pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for dismissal of the criminal trespass charge. He was sentenced to one year of probation and 10 days on a road crew. He was ordered to have no contact with me, my clinics, or any Bours Health Center staff. He was ordered to be charged with no similar offenses, and made to pay a monthly probation monitoring fee.

While we are pleased that he was prosecuted and convicted, it is disheartening that people like this are still using violence and intimidation to try to advance their extreme anti-choice agenda.

Earlier this week, we watched the swearing in of a pro-choice president, and we are hopeful that he will protect the right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy without government interference. This is truly an exciting time in our country, and we have much to celebrate in addition to today's anniversary. However, today we are also aware that we still have a long way to go until all women are able to access the reproductive health care services they need with dignity and freedom from any form of interference.

W.A. "Peter" Bours is a physician from Forest Grove and a member of the National Abortion Federation. He spends Thursdays and Fridays in Eugene performing abortions and vasectomies at an office he opened in 2003. His practice, the Bours Health Center, also has offices in Forest Grove and Portland.