Sidewalk Snippet {1/30/12}

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Servalbear

M was immediately talking to the client and her companion when they got out of their car. She pushed up against them and thrust literature into the companion’s hand. He dropped it on the ground and said, “Keep away from my wife. We don’t want to talk to you.” Of course M didn’t give up. She continued talking to the client and her husband all the way to the clinic door. He kept repeating, “I said No. It isn’t a hard word to understand. It only has two letters…N and O. I can capitalize them for you. NO!” Later he told a few escorts he regretted raising his voice and tried never to talk loudly, but he was just so frustrated by M’s actions and the fact she would not listen to him. We told him we understood his frustration.

Psychic Powers

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Servalbear

There are many things you hear and see when escorting clients into the abortion clinic. A lot of them are ugly and disturbing. The goal of the protesters is to humiliate and shame the clients. Companions and escorts also get anti attention verbally and sometimes physically.
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Escorts hear and see the same things repeated every day. The same words are used by the antis when they are screaming at the clients. Most escorts can repeat the spiels used daily by individual antis. We need to keep in mind this is probably the first time clients and companions are hearing these words. The antis have a knack for choosing statements with enough emotional content to wound most people.
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The statements containing psychic pronouncements are the ones I find really interesting. Antis apparently have divination powers denied to most of us. It is not just the oft-repeated, ‘God has a plan and purpose for your baby.’ Other statements range between sharing their knowledge of the personal life of the clients to sharing their knowledge of the fetus. It doesn’t matter that the antis have never met the client. They speak with a conviction of their perceived knowledge.
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Some of these statements are simply explained by assumptions antis make about all clients. ‘We will provide money and housing for you. Anything you need. Don’t let money be why you get this abortion.’ This is the assumption that all clients are poor. It really doesn’t count as some magical insight into an individual client’s situation. ‘We will pay for your college education. We will pay all four years of college and housing.’ Again, this isn’t magical insight. It is only the assumption all clients are uneducated. It is only funny when it is said to clients with advanced degrees who respond to the anti making this statement.
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The statements claiming to have direct knowledge of the fetus are perhaps the most hurtful and cruel. Thrusting plastic fetuses in front of a client’s face while declaring, ‘This is what your baby looks like now,’ is meant to shock and it does. It doesn’t matter the anti can have no possible idea how many weeks pregnant a client is. It is a one size fits all statement with an unrealistic plastic prop.
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Then there are just the plain bizarre comments claiming to have psychic connection to the fetus. We had one anti who claimed to be able to tell the sex of the fetus. She would scream, “It’s a boy this time,” or “You are going to have a beautiful girl,” or “It is twins! They will be beautiful!” Another anti would say, “I talked to your baby. He asked me not to let you kill him,” or he would speak for the baby, “Mommy, I love you.” These connection pronouncements are perhaps the most disturbing escorts hear on the sidewalk.
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Recently, I escorted a client and companion who giggled all of the way to the door. Every time an anti would say something to them or hold a plastic fetus in their faces, they would giggle. They seemed to be less amused and more nervous. They were incredulous strangers would say these things to them.
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I have to agree. I am constantly amazed how creatively harmful words can be.
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Never Assume You Know

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Servalbear

Escorting clients into EMW Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville draws on all of our resources of experience, diplomacy, anger management and observation skills. Luckily for new escorts, all of these things can be learned.
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One of the first things we learn is to never assume. Clients can arrive alone. They can be joined by companions in a separate vehicle. They can arrive with a group of people to support them in the same car. We have had as many as six people pile out of a car to walk to the clinic. They can be dropped off alone or with a companion in front of the clinic. They can arrive walking, taking the bus, dropped off by cab or by car. They can arrive from any direction.
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We have to be especially aware of our preconceived ideas of what clients will look like.
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According to the Guttmacher Institute, 58% of abortion clients are in their 20s. What about the other 42%?
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There was some interesting math posted by South Jersey Women’s Center late in November 2011. The average age of menarche in America is 12.6 years. The average age of menopause onset is 51.7 years. That leaves a lot of possibilities for unplanned pregnancy; as many as 507 opportunities.
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The case in November 2011 of a 10-year old girl from Mexico delivering by cesarean birth started me thinking seriously about the range of ages outside the averages. The youngest recorded person to give birth was 5 years old. The oldest recorded person to give birth was 70 years old. A really wide range of ages could be included as clients for abortion.
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The second time I was at the clinic escorting, there was a very young girl accompanied by a companion who was an adult woman. The young girl was the client. On the other side of the range of ages, we have had several times when a mother and adult daughter have arrived and the mother was the client.
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It is imperative we do not assume based on age who we think is a client. If they are inclined to talk, the client or companion will advise us if they want us to know.
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The next assumption we have to overcome is that clients will all be female presenting. This is not what really happens either. Although the majority of clients will identify as female, there are also clients that identify as male. This happens often enough we need to be careful to put our assumptions aside and respectfully approach each person coming to the clinic.
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A third assumption we need to be aware of is that everyone walking on the sidewalk is going to the clinic. This is one assumption the antis always make. We have seen them approach the same individuals every morning.
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There are a lot of people just going to work. We need to be aware of visible name tags, lunch bags, people walking together with matching bags printed with a company logo, and other people we recognize from our experience on the sidewalk as employees in the area. The more time we spend escorting the easier it becomes to recognize people just walking.
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The only way to make sure a car occupant(s) parking around the clinic or people walking on the sidewalk between 7a-8a are going to the abortion clinic is observation and asking them. “Are you going to the abortion clinic this morning? Those of us in the orange vests volunteer to escort clients to the entrance. Would you like us to walk with you?”
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As we gain experience escorting, we may approach some antis, some people going to Dr. Bizer’s, some people going to work or individuals just walking. We may miss seeing some clients entirely as they approach the clinic. We may gain some, ‘No,’ ‘Of course not,’ but we will also receive several, ‘Yes, please.’ All of the ‘Yes, please’ we receive are worth the learning process.
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What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?~ by KpF

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Servalbear

Contemplating and discussing how to best support our local pro-access candidates, we quickly, with almost unheard of consensus, concluded we’d not do anything.

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We can’t. There are no pro-access candidates in Louisville, Ky.
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Now, we have many conscientious, progressive access-friendly state representatives and local council members. These folks worked for decades, boosted by stalwart supporters, to secure the basic protections to access. Their work continues against the constant barrage to women’s rights of self-determination. From the legislative onslaughts and innocuous religious propaganda, to the hospital merger eliminating indigent and low income care, to the worn down apathy of an electorate trying to survive the economy, these folks shore up these erosions to keep abortion safe and legal.
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For Kentucky, Louisville looks progressive. Trendy farm-to-table restaurants, blown-glass art galleries, local yet fresh museums, revitalized downtown and locally roasted coffee houses. But at any moment even the skinny-jeaned barista in his ironic beard could ask us, “Please do not use the A-word or maybe go sit outside. You might offend other patrons.”
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To wave a banner proclaiming any candidate, council member or legislative rep pro-access would be the kiss of death. Not being adamantly anti-abortion will not get you elected in the rest of the state. We fly below the radar because we have to keep flying.
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Individually, we teach our kids tolerance and understanding. We wear our “Trust Women” and “Abortion is Not a Dirty Word” shirts and field the inevitable questions calmly, with focused intent to educate. We instigate the awkward conversations at Thanksgiving when Uncle Ignorant oppresses Aunt Submissive. We endure the uncomfortable silences at the Super Bowl party as we blanch in disgust at Tebow commercials, or this year’s bloody fetus ads. We collaborate to create real client-centric support.* We escort.
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When proclaiming a candidate pro-access and supporting that stance won’t do more harm than good, we’ll pin on the frisbee-sized button, canvas door-to-door registering voters and planting yard signs. But we do not live there. Not yet.
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Abortion Support in Kentucky is celebrating Roe vs Wade with their donation drive towards efforts to make abortion and reproductive healthcare more accessible in Kentucky. Please visit their website and contribute whatever you can.

Day 5 – Roe v Wade – Call to Action by fml and servalbear

Posted on January 21, 2012 by fml221

January 22 is tomorrow. What are you going to do to support the right to access abortion?

Here are some ideas:

Kentucky RCRC is holding a Candlelight Vigil January 22 from 5P-7P. The location is The Temple, U.S. 42 at Lime Kiln Ln., Louisville, KY
National NOW Supreme Court Vigil is being held Monday, January 23 from 5P-6P. The location is the US Supreme Court Sidewalk, 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC
World Can’t Wait is meeting for Stand Up For Abortion and Birth Control on January 22 at 6P and January 23 at 6P. The location is the US Supreme Court Sidewalk, 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC.
Look in your area for events scheduled in support of Roe v Wade. Be a presence at an event – there’s power in numbers.

We need to support abortion access for everyone without any apologies. Stand up and let your voice be heard. Remember the past so we do not have to repeat it.

If you cannot participate in a march or event for pro-access, please write your congressman and senators to let them know how you feel. Vote for candidates who are pro-choice in this year’s elections. {More on that tomorrow…}

Donate in support of reproductive rights. There are several organizations listed on our “How to Get Involved” page on this blog.

Sometimes we feel like the things we can do aren’t big enough to make a difference. Call or write your legislators… Really? How helpful is that in the long run?

But recently here in Louisville, efforts to merge a public hospital with a Catholic conglomerate were blocked. The hospital would have had to follow Catholic beliefs about health care. The merger would have limited access to basic reproductive health care, such as tubal ligations.

There was enough of a huge outcry against it. People rallied against the impact of following religious guidelines in a public hospital. We’re proud to say our governor bravely vetoed the merger.

Governor Beshear may not have vetoed it due to concern about abortion access, but at least he supported the separation of church and state in medical care. It feels good to know that we were part of the public outrage that led him to investigate the terms more closely. One voice at a time let him know how unpopular this merger would be for health care in Louisville.

So we keep doing what we can. We hope in the long run, it will be enough.

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Day 4 – Roe v Wade – History – by fml and servalbear

Posted on January 20, 2012 by fml221

We do not want to go back to the days when abortion was illegal. The memories and stories are too painful. We have posted several stories on this blog about the way it was. Making abortion illegal will not stop the need for access to safe abortion. It will just make it more difficult for clients to get them.

There is a famous saying by George Santayana. ”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

For anyone wanting to explore the history of abortion in Kentucky, we highly recommend “Standing Up For Reproductive Rights The Struggle for Legal Abortion in Kentucky” by Fran Ellers, published Chicago Spectrum Press; 1ST edition (2008).* You will learn, among other things:

In 1973 the first abortions were available in Louisville and Lexington
In 1973 Right to Life in Louisville started monthly marches to oppose abortion
In 1973 Kentucky Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice was founded
In 1986 the National Organization for Women chapter in Jefferson County began providing escorts
Escort notes from 1986-1987 could have been written last week. They tell the same stories we tell today.

There is another piece of history in a book recounting the murder of Dr. George Tiller we recommend. “The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller and the Battle over Abortion” by Stephen Singular, published by St. Martin’s Press, First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)**

Being familiar with the history of the war on reproductive rights is a necessary step to protecting those rights in the future.

Reminiscence from fml:

I remember when I first realized I was pro-choice, back in the early 80′s. A friend of mine was telling me about the plans she’d made to improve a life that seemed hopeless to her at the time. She described her goals, the steps she’d planned, the things she’d already done to start the process. It was very exciting.

I was enthusiastic, but I could tell something wasn’t quite right. She got through describing her plans and said, “Sounds great, doesn’t it?”

I nodded, all hopeful.

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

I swear I heard a cell door slam. A sick feeling in my stomach, an ache in my heart, and the sound of a metal door slamming shut.

I was so glad she had a choice. It doesn’t matter what she did. I’m just so glad she had a choice. We can’t go back.

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*A copy can be purchased for $25.00 by stopping by the ACLU office Monday-Friday 9a-5p. Reproductive Freedom Project, American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 315 Guthrie Street Suite 300, Louisville, Kentucky 40204

**Available for purchase at book stores and Amazon.com.

Day 3 – Roe v Wade – Physical Aggression – by fml and servalbear

Posted on January 19, 2012 by fml221

The aggression against abortion rights isn’t all legislative. Anti-abortion violence has been directed towards doctors, clinic workers, escorts and clients. Over the 39 years, anti-abortion factions have committed acts of terrorism including murders, attempted murders, and fire bombings. They have made countless threats and tirelessly harassed in their zeal to prevent abortions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-abortion_violence

On New Year’s Day 2012 a homeless man set fire to the besieged clinic in Pensacola, FL. This act of terrorism was done because:

Rogers said he had recently witnessed an anti-abortion protest near the clinic. “Rogers admitted to intentionally setting fire to the clinic due to his strong disbelief in abortion,” an affidavit stated, and “he stated (he) was further fueled when he recently witnessed a young female entering the clinic while he was sitting amongst anti-abortion protesters.”

The presence and aggression of anti-abortion protesters prevents access to abortion 39 years after Roe vs Wade. Some of our most impressionable citizens view their actions as implied consent to stop abortion any way possible. (Scott Roeder, Paul Hill, Bobby Joe Rogers) The presence of protesters in front of clinics is not an expression of free speech but an unwanted intrusion into the private medical decisions of clients.

We get threats at our clinic. One day a young man on a bicycle got in a verbal conflict with an escort. He ended the argument by saying, “This is why I have guns at home,” and rode off. This makes us stay on edge, watching for his return, the rest of the morning.

Fortunately, he didn’t come back, and incidents like that don’t happen often. Sometimes, people ask if escorting is dangerous. Of course, it could be. There is always the potential. We never quite forget the illusion of safety could disappear in a second.

Most people who are against abortion would not be willing to kill an already-born person even to prevent abortion. However, some people actually believe it would be “justifiable homicide.” Interesting values for the “pro-life” group.

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Day 2 – Roe vs Wade – Legal Barriers and Battles – by fml and servalbear

Posted on January 18, 2012 by fml221

Every woman under the age of 39 has grown up with the right to access birth control and abortion. It is easy to believe that since it has been true for 39 years, it will always be true.

The day Roe vs Wade was decided, some people worried the decision did not cover enough.

Decision January 22, 1973

Less than a month after the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973, The Nation published an article supporting the decision. “Jane Roe” of Texas and “Mary Doe” of Georgia wanted abortions, but their states forbade them, and the women decided to challenge the illegality of the procedure. “They, and the seven Justices who voted in their favor, have performed a service of incalculable importance for American womanhood,” wrote The Nation’s editors. Still, the editors were wary of decision’s aftermath. “The Supreme Court decision does not go all the way,” they wrote. “There will be renewed efforts to circumvent it.” Read more here.

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These concerns proved prophetic. Every year since 1973, legislation has been introduced to chip away at the right to access abortion.

Some of these laws are called TRAP ~ Targeted Regulations against Abortion Providers. These may include the height of a sink or the width of a doorway in a clinic. They are not medically necessary and are not applied to other types of clinics.

At the EMW clinic, these regulations make it nearly impossible for the clinic to change locations ~ which would also allow us to have a private parking lot with direct access to the clinic. But trying to meet the TRAP regulations would be too costly and would increase the risk of getting shut down completely.

In Virginia, they have drafted new legislation that could cause some clinics there to close. {Read more on TRAP in Virginia here.} Pennsylvania and Maryland face similar challenges.

The war on women’s rights, especially concerning abortion, birth control and even sex education, took on an aggressive aspect in 2011. Bill after bill was introduced seeking to place limits on abortion that would make it nearly impossible to actually get one.

In the 50 states combined, legislators introduced more than 1,100 reproductive health and rights-related provisions, a sharp increase from the 950 introduced in 2010. By year’s end, 135 of these provisions had been enacted in 36 states, an increase from the 89 enacted in 2010 and the 77 enacted in 2009. (Summaries by state included in this Reality Check article.)

The legislative aggression has already started in 2012.

Anti-choice activists always say “punish the doctor, not the mother.” For Florida Rep. Charles Van Zant, that punishment for the physician would be life in prison.
Twenty-five Kansas House members have agreed to sponsor a proposed “personhood” amendment to the state constitution to ban abortion and are close to introducing it…

Keep in mind that personhood laws would also eliminate some forms of birth control. While people can be against abortion and in favor of birth control, the official Catholic stance considers birth control equal to abortion.

The World Can’t Wait states some of our concerns in their call for people to join with them in Washington, DC on January 22 and 23.

Stand up for Abortion and Birth Control
39 years after women won the right to abortion, this fundamental right is hanging by a thread.
- Nearly 90% of U.S. counties have no abortion provider.
- 2011 saw the greatest number of restrictions passed at the state level – parental notification laws, mandatory waiting periods, gestational bans, etc. – restricting this access even further.
- Doctors who provide abortions are hunted, terrorized and killed.
- And the stigma and shame cast on women who get abortions is greater than ever

As pro-access activists, we need to stay vigilant about pending legislation to limit the rights of women. People often say that women’s rights are the first to be sacrificed by politicians. The legislative measures that have passed in 2011 clearly reflect that.

The new campaign for Operation Save America in 2012 is a plan to leave entire states without an abortion provider.

Operation Save America is embarking on a new national campaign called States of Refuge, Operation: First Abortion Free State. Currently, there are five states (Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) with one remaining abortion mill within their boundaries. Our purpose is to bring churches and pro-life ministries to each state and allow God to give us the first abortion-free state in America. (web link omitted purposely)

Why are we continuing to fight the same fights 39 years after abortion was ruled legal? The simple answer is politicians encouraging evangelistic citizens to garner their votes.

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Day 1 – Roe vs Wade – The Marches – by fml and servalbear

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Servalbear

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The 39th anniversary of Roe v Wade – the decision on abortion rights by the United States Supreme Court – is January 22. This week, we will publish a series of articles on different issues surrounding the decision.
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Back alley abortions and women trying to abort on their own had been a fact of life for a very long time. Roe v Wade didn’t start the controversy about abortion, but it brought it into the realm of politics.
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Roe v. Wade reshaped national politics, dividing much of the United States into pro-choice and pro-life camps, while activating grassroots movements on both sides. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade

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There will be many articles written today and this week concerning the decision. “On The Issues Magazine” has devoted its Winter 2012 issue to the subject of abortion. Read it here.

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There will be marches in support of the right to choose abortion. There will be counter-marches by anti-abortion groups. The first marches began shortly after the decision.
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1973

Abortion – Roe v. Wade linked control of reproductive rights to a woman’s constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy. To social conservatives, this upset gender roles and traditional patriarchy, and was considered an attack on “the right of a husband to protect the life of the child he fathered in his wife’s womb.” Read more here.

The annual marches in Washington, DC are considered a “Festival and Special Event” by About.com. Listed between “Home and Remodeling Show” and “Bethesda Chevy Chase Restaurant Week,” the information about the rallies includes directions to the Supreme Court and the National Mall. Tourists can view the expected 250,000 or more demonstrators for both sides as part of their visit to Washington.

Washington 30 Year Anniversary March

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We worry a little that listing this in a guide about Washington might trivialize the importance of the decision. Might make the struggle to protect the right to abortion under all circumstances without stigmatization seem like a festival for fun. If it adds to the crowds lending their voice for the rights of women, it helps. If it becomes a spectacle, an event for entertainment, it doesn’t help.

This anniversary is historically the most important step forward for women’s bodily autonomy . There is so much work still to do.

Reminiscence by fml:

I’ve never participated in a march in support of abortion. But I was 16 when Roe v Wade passed, and I can remember how exciting a time it was.

The year before that, six of the young women in my junior year of high school had left school because they were pregnant. Back then, the only legal choice was to have the baby. You could get married, or you could put it up for adoption. Very few people chose to raise the child alone.

I knew of six girls in my class who got pregnant that year. There may have been others who managed to get a “back-alley” abortion, or whose parents had the means to take them out of state for a legal abortion.

Some of the girls I knew got married, child brides at 15, some of them didn’t. Most of them, I never saw again. And of course, I don’t know what any of them would have chosen back in those days.

But when Roe v Wade passed the next year, we knew it opened doors that had been nearly closed up until then.
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Reminiscence by servalbear:
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Roe vs Wade was decided when I was 23. Even though birth control pills were available in the early 1960s, there were state laws prohibiting the distribution until a Supreme Court ruling in 1965 stated that these laws violated the “right to marital privacy.” (Griswold vs Connecticut). That made it possible for married couples to obtain prescriptions for birth control pills without restrictions.

It wasn’t until 1972 that unmarried couples were included in this right. (Eisenstadt vs Baird) I was also 23 when that decision came down from the Supreme Court. Some states still have restrictive laws for the distribution of birth control to unmarried minors.

In real-life terms, that means: For all of my teenage years, the only birth control available for most single women was abstinence, rhythm method, douches or condoms.

Needless to say, these were not 100% effective. There were a lot of unplanned teenage pregnancies. The only options were drop out of school to raise the baby, put the baby up for adoption or go to a back alley abortionist.

I joined NOW and marched in support of Roe vs Wade and the equal rights amendment for women. To witness firsthand the number of young lives derailed by unplanned pregnancies made me a lifelong advocate of bodily autonomy and a feminist.

The decision in Roe vs Wade was a cause for celebration. We can never go back to the way it was before. Over 50% of the population in America are women. We need the right to make the reproductive choices best for our individual lives.

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celebrate access!

Posted on January 15, 2012 by wenches

We here at Every Saturday Morning are excited to welcome a new organization to the growing force that is demanding better access to abortion in Kentucky. Abortion Support in Kentucky [ASK] aims to improve access to reproductive healthcare in Kentucky by offering assistance with childcare, transportation, and housing for folks seeking abortion services in Kentucky.

To kick off our week of celebrating the 39th anniversary Roe vs Wade, we are asking that you join us in supporting ASK by making a donation to help them achieve their goals.

Donors of $1-$20 will receive a button.

$21-$50 will receive a hand printed poster.

$51-$100 will receive a button and a poster!

$101+ will receive a poster, two buttons and a Tshirt!! (be sure to tell us your size and if you prefer red, green, or brown)

	Servalbear on Sidewalk Snippet {1/30/12…
	Kittybrat on Sidewalk Snippet {1/30/12…
	Kittybrat on Psychic Powers
	Servalbear on Psychic Powers
	kescort on Psychic Powers

Everysaturdaymorning's Blog

Escorts provide support to people obtaining abortions in Louisville KY