It's Saturday morning, and both sides of the street are covered with people. On one, the Archbishop with a group of approximately sixty praying protesters, with rosaries and strollers in hand. On the other side of the street, EMW Women's Surgical Center. Escorts decked in their orange vests stand side by side in front of the large clinic window. In front of them are another forty or so protesters, signs with images of bloody fetuses, and a lot of scripture. About forty more protesters line both sides of the sidewalk creating a gauntlet up the sidewalk away from the clinic entrance.
Archbishop Protest from Stuart Productions on Vimeo.
I have stood by the door before, blocking the attempts at eye contact with the women and men waiting in line to check in. The shouting at the clients going in continues as they stand in line. On other Saturdays I can stand in front of the protesters and block their view of the clients. Last Saturday, due to the volume of protesters, we had to lock arms at the private property line to prevent protesters from closing in at the doorway and blocking the client's path to the clinic entrance.
Surrounding the clients, escorts usher them from the parking lot to the entrance of the clinic. One of the protesters, Angela, calls out clients inside the clinic by pinpointing their hairstyles and clothing -- clear attempts at shaming.
I was of two minds. I did not want to fuel the fire by shouting over her or being antagonistic; but I couldn't stand to hear her shout at women, judging them for making hard decisions. I stood in front of her and with a cardboard box obstructing her view of the women inside, trying to create some space. In the clinic, it was still one woman at a time living out her life.
Most Saturday mornings there are around seventy protesters and only a handful of escorts. After years of interacting, the escorts and anti-choice protesters know each other, some by name, others by reputation. Last Saturday, I saw an escort and a protester give each other a side handshake, like those given by boxers before the start of a match. Some of the interactions are friendly, others are cold, all are between people who are in that moment not facing a problem pregnancy.
Every woman has different life circumstances. Every pregnancy produces different challenges. Escorts believe that each client is the best judge of her own situation and has the strength of character to decide what is best for her and her family. Who is more able to assess the moral validity of every woman's abortion? I certainly don't think it's the Archbishop.
By Andy Radmacher, Coordinator of the Louisville Clinic Escorts and writer for everysaturdaymorning.wordpress.com
Originally published on rhrealitycheck.org
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But, I am one of the lucky ones.
If these protesters are so upset maybe they should start looking at what there own church is involved in. I bet they find that its far worse then a first term abortion ever would be.
Religion has to get out of politics. Otherwise we end up like Rome or Saudi and just like that back in the middle ages we go.
As the Clintons said, abortion must be " legal, safe, and rare".
It is interesting though, that the Catholic Church is predominantly and historically male yet it doesn't seem to protest men who abandon their children. When they start protesting the fathers I may be interested in what the church has to say.
Those who wish to control others are simply attempting to compensate for a lack of control they feel in their own life
He was recently ordained, and idealistic.
He approached an abortion clinic and asked permission to council clients. He was given that permission and from that experience came his article in Ms.
The short version is that he found that each woman with whom he spoke had a very real and pressing reason to need to no have a baby. Not only was he not able to dissuade any client, after all each had already made their life changing decision, but he came away understanding the depth of their need to not be forced to bare a child they could not deal with.
Each reason was different, each reason was persuasive not only to the woman but to the young priest.
Perhaps the Archbishop should show the same compassion toward women and hear their stories and offer them the church's help do deal with the issues that compel them to a "least worst" choice.
The Archbishop, in deed all men who condemn abortion, speak with the voiced of those who have been pulled from a raging fire to safety, telling those who still are trapped by flames to just “Shut up and die quickly. Your yelling is upsetting my peace.”
It's on outcomes that ideologies differ, and that's where they have to be judged. In the real world, any organization or ideology which opposes real birth control options and information is firmly pro-abortion, regardless of it's pretenses.
Which is the position the archbishop and his church is in. They've done more to bring about the abortions going on inside that clinic than anyone on the other side of the line.
I believe there is a third option as some on both sides believe that there are just too many abortions being done..that there must be a different way here to lessen the need.
I suggest that we all start to use our brains instead of reporductive organs to think.
And as men, not women, make women pregnant, I believe it should start with men.
I must also add that women though, in this case, are the enablers....
THEY DON'T PUT THEIR COLLECTIVE FEET DOWN AND SAY NO....
And no, I have never been to an abortion clinic to protest or pray...
It's just too darn easy to get angry and yell...and that doesn't do anyone any good.
But the Fundie groups don't want that either. They would much rather tell you what to do with your body, and if the unwanted baby is born, these same fundie groups help elect candidates that cancel after school programs, cut funding for child care, cut welfare and educational assistance......
I volunteer at my local clinic, keep your beliefs....Just keep them to yourself.
Or is this NOT a free country anymore?
If these people want to live like the Amish thats their business but forcing it on others is crossing the line on all issues.
"Legal restrictions do not stop abortion from happening. They just make the procedure dangerous," Camp said. "Too many women are maimed or killed each year because they lack legal abortion access."
The article on their findings can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/13/unsafe-abortions-kill-700_n_319499.html
Women of the CC be careful of your over/ords...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7926694.stm