By SETH AUGENSTEIN

saugenstein@njherald.com

NEWTON -- Police responded to a pro-life rally at the Planned Parenthood twice Monday morning -- the second call coming because a picketer entered the clinic to use the bathroom.

Lt. Robert Osborn of the Newton Police confirmed that a group from a local church, including two priests and about eight of their parishioners, picketed outside the Planned Parenthood on Moran Street Monday morning for about one hour, before departing.

The local police responded twice -- once, at 10:37 a.m., to check that the protesters were not breaking the law by intimidating passersby, blockading the door, or otherwise causing an interference. Osborn said the group was "very peacefully walking back and forth" directly in front of the building, as the law allows.

"They weren't preventing ingress or egress," Osborn said, adding that several patients who went in and out of the Planned Parenthood were interviewed by the police; all said they were not interfered with.

However, the second call came at 11:23 a.m. after Planned Parenthood called and reported the protester using the bathroom without permission. Osborn said the officer returned to the scene and investigated, and specifically warned the group against doing so again. The group said they were going to leave anyway.

No charges were filed.

The police did not record the name of the religious affiliation of the priests, or any of the names of the protesting group, Osborn said. However, he did confirm that a local church has protested the Moran Street location consistently in the past.

"There is a group that does it on a regular basis," he said.