California Man Charged with Attempted Murder of Abortion Provider
A California man is facing an attempted murder charge for plotting to shoot the doctor at a clinic where his girlfriend had obtained abortion care. Joel Robison allegedly drove to the clinic with a firearm February 17, but decided not to enter after seeing a clinic security guard. A week later Robison checked himself into a hospital for severe depression and admitted his murder plot to his doctor, who then informed the police. Even though he didn’t follow through with his plan, Robison’s actions still constitute attempted murder according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. If convicted, Robison could be sentenced to a maximum of 17 years to life in prison.
While major incidents of violence against abortion providers have decreased in recent years, there are still many anti-abortion extremists who believe that it is justifiable to murder doctors because they provide women with safe and legal abortion care.