Few issues incite the same level of passion as abortion. In nations the world over, it has been variously banned, unbanned, partially banned, and clashed over with words — and bombs. For Eric Robert Rudolph, a militant opponent of abortions, there was never really a doubt which method to choose. He was not a man of peace. He had already bombed Centennial Olympic Park, home of the 1997 Summer Olympics, in Atlanta. His next target would be an abortion clinic.

On this day, January 29, in 1998 Rudolph set off a pipe bomb in front of the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic, in Birmingham, Alabama. A security guard who found the device was instantly killed when it exploded, and a nurse on staff was badly injured.

An eyewitness to the incident noticed Rudolph’s license plate number as the bomber sped off, and authorities quickly caught up to him. After his arrest, when questioned by the media about his motives, he replied, “The object was to target the doctor-killer, but because the device was prematurely discovered by the security guard, it had to be detonated with only the assistant-killers in the target area. … I had nothing against Lyons and Sanderson. They were targeted for what they did, not who they were as individuals.”