A federal jury ruled Monday that anti-abortion protest organizers used threats and violence to close down abortion clinics. The organizations have been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars because they used violence and threats to achieve their goals of stopping abortions.

Under a racketeering law enacted in 1970, three anti-abortion advocates and two anti-abortion organizations were proven to have been militant in their tactics at trying to stop the practice of abortion.

The question raised is: Does this type of legal decision directly connect freedom of speech with racketeering?

Congress passed the law in 1970 as a weapon against organized crime, but in recent years, businesses have also become targets of the law. There must be clear proof that there was violence or threats to have the racketeering law invoked.

These anti-abortion groups and three individuals did use violence and physical harassment in an attempt to close down various clinics in Milwaukee, Wis., and Wilmington, Del.

Evidence of these anti-abortionists being responsible for various bombings and other various counts of arson at clinics was ruled inadmissible in court. But the attorneys were allowed to tell the court of doctors and patients being grabbed, pushed and threatened.

Other clinics plan to file similar lawsuits under the jurisdiction of this new ruling.

Unfortunately, there is the concern that peaceful demonstrations will become the target of racketeering lawsuits. People are worried that their First Amendment rights, which allow freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble, will be violated by the new ruling.

If a religious group wanted to protest Planned Parenthood, and did so by picketing across the street with signs and handing out pamphlets, this would be considered an expression of free speech. But threatening and physically harming people is an unacceptable way of educating the public, and it should be punished.

Violence is not an exercise of free speech. The right to make a personal decision free of violence and oppression is the right of every citizen in the United States.