New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Republican activists Bevelyn Beatty and Edmee Chavannes for protesting at Planned Parenthood.
The federal lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction prohibiting the women from going near the abortion provider’s building.
“For almost 50 years, Roe v. Wade has made clear the right of women to control their own bodies,” James said in a 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.”
The lawsuit says that the women, who gained viral infamy for repeatedly painting over Black Lives Matter street murals in New York, have been protesting at the clinic nearly every week since 2019.
The AG claims that the women would get close to patients and staff without masks and harass them as they entered the building.
“Over the years, we have witnessed these anti-abortion extremists spew lies and use physical force to threaten our staff, bully our volunteers, and demoralize our patients,” Joy Calloway, the interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, said in a statement obtained by The Hill. “The vitriol of hate outside our Manhattan Health Center is a clear and present threat to reproductive rights. This lawsuit sends a loud and clear message: Planned Parenthood patients deserve to access sexual and reproductive health care free of fear and intimidation.”
Beatty was recently stabbed in DC while attempting to help someone who was allegedly being assaulted by a Black Lives Matter extremist.
