"Operation Save America" holds protest outside Milwaukee women's health clinic

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Dozens of protesters gathered outside a women's health clinic in Milwaukee Monday.

The nationally-recognized Christian group, "Operation Save America", congregated near Farwell and Ogden for most of the day.

Members were protesting abortions outside Affiliated Medical Services. The group said they hoped to convince women not to go inside.

"Our message is that we are against child abuse, because abortion is child abuse," group member Ante Pavkovic said. "It's the ultimate form of child abuse, and it always ends in the death of a child."

The National Abortion Federation issued the following statement on behalf of the Milwaukee clinic on Monday:

Ensuring our patients are able to obtain the health care they need as well as their and our staff's safety is our number one priority. No one should be harassed, intimidated, and shamed for trying to obtain the health care they need-- or even just walking by a health care clinic. These anti-abortion people do not represent the overwhelming support we receive from our community.

We do ask that members of our community who support us do so by not engaging with these anti-abortion extremists due to the long history of violence in the anti-abortion movement. The anti-abortion people have already turned to shoving clinic escorts in an attempt to harass and shame a patient trying to leave the clinic. We do not want an already scary and chaotic situation to escalate into a violent one.

It is very important that our patients understand that they are safe and that once they enter our doors, they will receive the love, respect, and care they deserve.