Audio recordings taken by an undercover activist reveal that a network of anti-abortion activists in Texas are photographing the license plates of patients who use women's clinics in order to track and monitor them. Furthermore, the group is using tax records to identify and locate physicians and staff of the clinics.

Watch video about this story, embedded below via Progress Texas:


The Austin Chronicle reported Tuesday that two groups, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and Progress Texas released the tapes, which were recorded at the Capitol in Austin. Multiple anti-choice groups were on hand offering instructions to new recruits on how to more effectively stalk and harass abortion providers and their patients.

The recording features excerpts from "Keeping Abortion Facilities Closed," a seminar held by the anti-choice groups - united under the banner Texas Alliance for Life - on August 4.

Karen Garnett of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas instructed her fellow protesters and activists to flood the streets around women's clinics so that "prayer chains" can be on site "in front of every abortion facility during all hours that abortions are being performed."

"Part of that," Garnett said, "is so that we can track. We can track the number of women who choose life and we can also track who works there, who is your abortionist. You can do that, it's totally legal. You can track license plates."

She went on to detail how her group has a "very sophisticated spread sheet" so that they can track and monitor every person who arrives and leaves women's health centers.

"You have license plates, the car make and model and a description of the person," she said.

Activist Eileen Romano of 40 Days for Life said that if you spend enough time on the sidewalks confronting patients and staff, "You learn the street talk," and by speaking to "the poorer ones" in their own vernacular, Romano said, they were able to divert them to an anti-choice "pregnancy crisis center," where they were convinced not to abort.

"God is good," Romano enthused.

Abby Johnson of Live Action said that her group was able to follow a clinic director and stay ahead of his effort to move the practice to a new location.

"We were actually able to look up appraisal district records," Johnson said, "and we found his new location, so we're on top of it. We know where he'll be moving."

"These abortionists are feeling the pressure," she said. "They feel like they're on the run, and that's how we want to keep it."

Anti-choice extremists have committed multiple acts of violence against U.S. clinics and their personnel. Some clinics have been firebombed, while one physician, Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in church for the "crime" of being one of the few doctors in the U.S. who would perform late term abortions.

"Since 1993," wrote Mary Tuma of the Austin Chronicle, "eight clinic workers, including four doctors and two clinic employees have been killed by anti-abortion violence in the United States. Since 1991, a recorded 17 murder attempts have taken place."