Both sides of abortion debate peacefully co-exist at complex

When a nonprofit pregnancy center decided to expand in North Tampa, it found the perfect location: next door to an abortion clinic.

"It was a God thing," says Pat Layton, president and founder of A Women's Place, a faith-based agency that offers a range of support services to pregnant women, from ultrasounds to adoption referrals. "But to be honest, we definitely did it on purpose."

For the last year, the ministry and All Women's Health Center of North Tampa have operated side by side in separate buildings in a professional office complex on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

And they've done it with no disruption, despite their polar opposite objectives.

"We've got a great relationship. Things are very peaceful around here," says Heidi Mullis, the clinic's administrator. "I've even sent a few women over there, if they just want a sonogram or if they're still undecided about what to do."

Sunday's shooting of George Tiller, a late-term abortion doctor in Wichita, Kan., has re-ignited the contentious abortion debate. Anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and is being held with no bail set.

Both Layton and Mullis soundly denounced the violence, saying it does not serve either side.

"It's heartbreak for the family of the victim and it's heartbreak for the movement," Layton says. "We work extremely hard to make women feel safe and comfortable. Even if picketers show up next door, we ask them nicely to leave."

She says that clinic personnel were a "little standoffish at first - they weren't sure where we were coming from" when A Women's Place moved next door. Now staffs at both operations are friendly with each other.

"Being argumentative and aggressive doesn't get you anywhere. We prefer the peaceful approach," Mullis says.

Tampa has been a "relatively calm market" for abortion providers, Mullis says. She can't say the same for Orlando and Ocala, where she previously worked.

"Those places got a little crazy with the protesters," she says.

Debbie Carter, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, confirmed there's not a high volume of activity at the complex. "Records show we don't have any problems out of the ordinary at that location," she says.

The proximity of the centers may have an impact on a woman's decision on whether to abort or remain pregnant, Layton says. If a woman has made an appointment for abortion but is still vacillating on what to do, she can go next door to A Women's Place and learn about the various services available if she chooses to carry the baby to full term.

Perhaps the ministry's best tool is a $60,000 sonogram machine, donated by Van Dyke United Methodist Church, which delivers a high-resolution image of the fetus. Layton says seeing those photos has prompted many women to reconsider their earlier decision to end their pregnancy.

From January to May, Layton says the ministry has served 170 of those undecided clients.

"They came in indicating they wanted an abortion or they weren't sure what to do," she says. "And they ended up choosing life."

Layton and Mullis acknowledge they will never agree on the abortion issue. And they are equally adamant about the necessity of the different purposes their respective programs serve. But despite those differences, they can agree about staying on friendly terms and treating each other with respect.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," Mullis says. "Maybe if they took this attitude in places like the Middle East, we'd have a more peace in the world."