Anti-Abortion Activist Tried to Intimidate Doctor, Lawyer Says

By ROXANA HEGEMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WICHITA, Kan. — May 3, 2016, 5:39 PM ET

An anti-abortion activist intended to intimidate a Wichita physician when she sent a letter suggesting someone might place an explosive under the doctor's car, a Justice Department lawyer told jurors in opening statements in her civil trial Tuesday.

Lawyers for Angel Dillard, however, have said the remark was a warning meant to help Dr. Mila Means, who was training to become an abortion provider at the time. Attorney Theresa Sidebotham said during her opening remarks that the government is trying to silence the free expression of views it disagrees with, and she assured jurors that Dillard only believes in peaceful opposition to abortion rights.

The conflicting portrayals of Dillard's motives for sending the 2011 letter and Means' reaction to receiving it are expected to be key in a case in which jurors must decide whether the letter constituted a "true threat."

The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, was brought under a federal law aimed at protecting women's access to abortion services. It seeks a court order that keeps Dillard from contacting Means or from coming within 250 feet of her or her home, car or business. It also seeks damages of $5,000 to Means and a civil penalty of $15,000.

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