On Thursday, August 27, ten anti-abortion religious zealots blocked the doors to the Northland Family Planning Clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

On Saturday, August 29, just two days later, an anti-abortion Christian fanatic showed up at another clinic openly carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a handgun at another clinic outside Detroit in Westland, MI.

Why? Why would anyone bring guns to a reproductive health clinic? To protest?

No. This young man brought his guns to this clinic to intimidate patients, clinic escorts, and providers. To frighten people. There is no other reason for it. The only other reason would be to kill people.

And the local police were aware he would be bringing these firearms. In his Facebook posts, he says he called to let them know before he brought them. Michigan is an open carry state, so apparently, this is legal - even an unholstered handgun in a waistband and an AR-15 pointed up in the air. The police did come to the clinic when called and asked him to put them away eventually, but he was not cited.

However, one of the activities prohibited by the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act is intimidation of persons approaching clinics. The Department of Justice, FBI would be the ones to press this matter, however. Unfortunately, as we have so often seen, religion often buys leniency or a pass on charges both on a local and federal level, often just a slap on the wrist if any penalties at all.

This is not ok.

Antis think abortion providers and patients are murderers. They stand outside clinics every day, screaming it for everyone to hear on the public sidewalks, along with their huge signs saying it as well, creating a dangerous environment for patients and providers. The antis' intimidation of patients is why clinic escorts exist.

Now we have state legislators, governors, and even the President constantly parroting their false religious narratives, even accusing patients and providers of infanticide escalating things even further.

Patients and providers are constantly having to navigate through this frightening scene and have been killed at clinics by anti-choice zealots. Having these people come to clinics armed is an escalation that can turn deadly, as we have seen in the past.

Just five years ago, a man named Robert Dear Jr., “traveled to the Planned Parenthood clinic (in Colorado Springs, CO) intending to wage “war” because the clinic offered abortion services. Dear had with him four SKS rifles, five handguns, two additional rifles, a shotgun, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, as well as propane tanks,” according to a Department of Justice press release.

This young anti having a semi-automatic weapon in his hands outside an abortion clinic as he is screaming about “baby murderers” and ostensibly coming there to stop them is a recipe for tragedy.

These anti-abortion zealots are telegraphing what comes next. We've seen it before.

And they are showing us that the words “good” and “Christian” don’t always go together every time they show up at clinics.

Today, in Michigan. Today, in America.

Coming to a clinic near you, if we, the pro-choice people don't all stand up for safe, legal, accessible abortion in America.

That is, as long as we can keep the clinics open.