A pair of anti-abortion activists refused to wear masks as they blocked the entrance of a Manhattan Planned Parenthood clinic and accosted patients and staff, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Letitia James.
At the height of the pandemic, Bevelyn Beatty and Edmee Chavannes “weaponized the threat of the virus to further intimidate and interfere with the center’s operations” by refusing to wear masks and social distance, the suit says.
Chavannes, while maskless, allegedly screamed threats into a staff member’s face outside Planned Parenthood’s Manhattan Health Center at 26 Bleecker Street, the filing alleges.
“Ultimately, they force patients and staff to risk exposure to the virus in order to obtain or provide reproductive health services,” the suit states.
Beginning in February 2019, the women became fixtures outside the clinic at times showing up every Saturday for months in a row and pounding on the windows, the AG alleges in the papers.
In June 2020, the complaint says that the duo physically and verbally assaulted multiple volunteer staffers during a large protest they promoted online as an opportunity to “declare WAR on PLANNED PARENTHOOD!”
“Beatty was captured on video slamming a health center staff member’s hand in a door, causing her to need x-rays, repeatedly shoving a volunteer patient escort attempting to enter the facility, slapping a different volunteer in the face, and threatening to knock an escort unconscious,” according to a press release.
The pair refused to wear masks and allegedly mocked staffers who asked them to, harassing them at close range, the suit says.
The filing seeks a preliminary injunction to halt the protesters from continuing their conduct, which the AG called a violation of federal, state and local laws.
“For almost 50 years, Roe v. Wade has made clear the right of women to control their own bodies,” James said in. statement. “Despite the clear protections under the law, these individuals used violent and illegal tactics to harass, threaten, and block women from entering Planned Parenthood.”
Beatty was arrested in July 2020 for defacing a Black Lives Matter Mural outside Trump Tower.
Beatty and Chavannes didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
