Hi.
Every Saturday morning between 30ish and 60ish people show up at 7 am to protest at and harass women entering EMW Women’s Surgical Center.
Escorts provide emotional and tactical support to clients of EMW. We do this by using our bodies to create personal space for the people entering the clinic. We meet clients at their cars, identify ourselves, ask for consent to walk with them to the door, then escort the client and support persons into the clinic.
We do this because clients of the clinic are often met at their cars by protesters. Between 2 and 5 protesters will follow/chase a client from their car parked in the public lot across the street to the private property line; talking at them, handing out literature, attempting to steer clients into the fake clinic down the block, shouting misinformation, slowing their pace, blocking the door and impeding clients any way they can.
While all of this is going on there are another 30ish-60is protesters lining the sidewalk in front of the clinic door, praying the rosary, holding signs, shouting at women and creating traffic in front of the door.
This happens because this is the only abortion clinic in Louisville KY. The only other clinic in the state is in Lexington. EMW owns both clinics.
This is a pro-choice blog.
Every Saturday Morning is mostly about my experiences escorting. But I will add a few thoughts regarding reproductive and sexual justice, gender, health, education, empowerment and what ever else seems applicable.
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I recently signed up to be a clinic escort and kept thinking why didn’t we see these people? You know why? Because we were those lucky people that were able to take a weekday off and walk in and out with very few people there. I don’t recall anyone.
I am now reading up on what to expect and starting with the archives. I hope I can offer as much care and protection as these caring and wonderful people do.
You’ll be a wonderful escort – I have no doubt of that. Just your presence is what they need. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
I would llike to thank all of you for your ture compassion, time, and effort to help women like myself. The hardest part of this was the decision….which I still have a hard time with. The protester’s made this much much harder for me and I really am so glad you all were there. If you all did not show support for the many women who end up at this center……many women would drive away just because of the protesters. Thank you for making this very difficult time in my life more comforting.