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"He had mace and he sprayed it. I just got a little bit. I had a sign in fron of me," said one woman. "The two pastors and the 15-year-old boy, he just got right up in their face and sprayed it right in their eyes. They were laying in the gutter just anguishing."
The three later went to the emergency room and say they are filing charges against the guard for assault. What may have caused the guard to spray mace is still not quite clear, but the witness said she believed it was pre-meditated and that the guard said he was going to spray the mace before hand.
Both sides were literally on either side of a wooden fence and an iron gate. Both line a side street where you can see both pro-lifers and clinic supporters these days. It's not only the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision that rendered null the abortion laws in all states where it was legal before 1973, but Mississippi's legislature passed a law last year that may soon shut the clinic down. That may be the cause for some of the tension between the two groups, besides the obvious differences.
Witness account of macing:
"I think it's fear that they're going to lose their clinic and their jobs," said Dana Chisolm, a supporter of the pro-life movement. She said she's been meeting with young women coming from the clinic and praying with them after the procedure.
"These people have been out here getting in the way between us even talking to the girls and even letting them hear about the other choices-in my mind afraid," she said.
Workers at the clinic didn't want to talk much and security was happy to make sure our crew stood outside the fence. One worker did tell us they do not believe they are in the minority and they believe the clinic will stay open.
You can expect to continue to see people from both sides outside the clinic. Supporters plan to be there en mass Saturday.
