REL 406: Religion and Reproduction

Pensacola Bombings

On Christmas Day, 1984, a trio of bombings destroyed an abortion clinic and two offices of OBGYN doctors who were known to perform abortions. The main perpetrators were self-proclaimed members of the First Assembly of God congregation and their attacks were "a gift to Jesus on His birthday" (Item 2). These attacks marked the 15th abortion clinic bombing within 4 months, taking the anti-abortion debate to new heights (Item 1).  Within the following decade, the anti-abortion violence within Pensacola escalated, leading up to the murders of Dr. David Gunn and Dr. John Britton (Item 2). Not only did these acts of anti-abortion violence further divide the pro-life and the pro-choice movements, but they continued to inspire more violence across the southeast United States.

Over a decade after the Christmas Day bombings, Eric Ruldoph bombed abortion clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. During his testimony, he repeatedly argued that "abortion is murder. And when the regime in Washington legalized, sanctioned, and legitimized this practice, they forfeited their legitimacy and moral authority to govern" (Item 3). 

This streak of clinic bombings not only represents another act of anti-abortion violence, but also exemplifies how Pensacola's Christmas Day Bombings drew national attention to the debate over life, that was now costing other lives.

Only weeks after the Christmas Day bombings, the conversation was taken to the national level.  In response, the politicians' responses to drastically increasing violence among anti-abortion advocates further intensified the political divides amongst parties.

A newspaper article on clinic bombings in the United States outlines the "widespread concern and controversy" around President Ronald Reagan and the FBI's response to the violence. Specifically, the article notes "pro-choice leaders" from the National Organization for Women and similar perspectives who believe that the FBI is too slow to label abortion violence as acts of terrorism.

The article serves as a source documenting national sentiment on abortion violence up to 1985, proving the national relevance of the violence in Pensacola, such as the Christmas Day bombings.

Lasting Impact of Pensacola Abortion Clinic Bombings

In 1996, almost a decade after the Christmas Day bombings, the NY Times posted an article reflecting on the events of Pensacola's "Decade of Violence."

Click on the image for a full transcript of the text.

After the murders of David Gunn and John Britton, Pensacola had officially experienced an entire decade of bloodshed at the hands of anti-abortion zealots. To set up this context, this New York Times article highlights the intricacies of the Christmas Day Bombings, by showing the clear connections to religion and overall religious motivations behind the attacks. 

The newspaper clipping discusses the Christmas Day bombings of 1984, clarifying the blantant connection to religion, as one of the four people convicted of the crime described it as "a gift for Jesus on his birthday."

Similarly, it adds that Dr. David Gunn's murder was committed by a man (Michael F. Griffin) who said "he was acting in God's name."

In addition to addressing the connections between religion and multiple violent acts seen in Pensacola, the article once again discusses the contempt that policymakers' lack of appropriate action is opening the doors for more acts of violence. One Pensacola native added, "I think it will make people aware that violence is not the answer and make them want to resolve differences peacefully," said Joel Hullet, a grocery store manager. "It's sort of like the Rodney King answer, 'Why can't people just get along?'"

Less than a decade after Eric Rudolph's streak of bombings across the southeast United States, he spoke on his motivations for the attack. In response to his most famous bombing (an abortion clinic in Atlanta, 1996), Ruldolph not only blamed the violence on the "legalization of abortion and 'aberrant sexual behavior,'" but once again expressed contempt towards the government's lack of involvement in abortion debates.

Not only was the news of Pensacola's violence spreading nationwide, but other violent acts started appearing in the wake of Pensacola's events. And when he was asked about the morality of his actions against human law, he noted that "when the regime in Washington legalized, sanctioned, and legitimized this practice, they forfeited their legitimacy and moral authority to govern." 

1. Magnusen, Ed. “Explosions Over Abortion.” Time, Inc. January 14, 1985. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,962698-2,00.html (accessed April 3, 2023).
2. Verhoevek, Sam. “Decade of Violence.” The New York Times. 1994. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/06/us/pensacola-s-decade-of-violence-escalating-battle-over-abortion.html (accessed March 27, 2023).
3. Mattingly, David, & Henry Schuster. “Eric Rudolph Reveals His Motives.” CNN. April 19, 2005. https://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/13/eric.rudolph/ (accessed April 3, 2023).