Abortion Protests Continue In Vestal

Abortion opponents regularly gather near a Vestal doctor's office but they have not recently interfered with its operations.

Dr. Amy Cousins has provided abortion services at the Vestal Parkway West site for several years.

Cousins was not available to comment on the protesters who may occasionally be seen on a small grassy strip between the roadway and the office parking lot. But office manager Peg Johnston said there have been no recent issues involving protesters.

In an emailed statement, Johnston wrote that the protesters are a "regular presence" at the office. She said although it is "upsetting" to patients it "does not change their resolve."

On a recent Thursday, Friar Felix O'Donnell of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in the town of Maine stood with a few other abortion foes.

O'Donnell said he usually positions himself in the area adjacent to the parking lot every Thursday morning, to "try to plant seeds" in an effort to express opposition to abortion.

O'Donnell said he and other protesters are "trying to bring love and not hate" with their presence outside the medical office.

Although Vestal police sometimes monitor the presence of protesters at the site, Johnston, the medical office manager, said there's been no need to request police assistance. She also indicated there had not been any new security concerns since the November 27 mass shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood office. The suspect in that incident has expressed anti-abortion views.

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