Escorts: 9

Protesters: 50-60

Cops: 3 (I think ?)

looking down the gauntlet to the clinic door, south side of Market St. 45ish protesters.

Overall it was a quiet morning.

Still really cold, low 20s this morning at 6:30am. Lots of protesters this morning, there was a bus from a mountain bible college with mournful silent night carols and “dead baby” signs.

Angela and crew from the fake clinic across the street diverted one couple into their clinic mid way through the morning. It was a classic divide and conquer technique.  The fundies were standing very close to the client, two talking to her, one talking to the partner away from the client, and several more standing around praying. All of this happened on the north side of the street a little bit down from the fake clinic’s doors.

One of the escorts walked over and made sure that they were ok, and they said they were and decided to check out the fake clinic. All of the fundies hurried this couple in the doors and disappeared.

In general, I think the fake clinic is representative in their approach of many lifers around the country. They are bound and determine to provide inaccurate, strongly gendered, information that denies the existence of body and sex positive interactions.  Bullying and condemnation round out the list of emotional manipulation used to keep people disempowered.

I think they suck.

That being said, if a client wants to check out their services, great. Whatever this person needs to make a good decision I encourage them to look. But I also encourage them to understand where they are getting their information and to be aware of the bias of the facility they are visiting.

I am interested in creating spaces where people are able to make informed decisions based on their own evaluation of their lives. But without being sold the fear mongering and emotionally manipulative package the abstinance only camp has worked up.

It is so important that we recognize not every person who decides to terminate a pregnancy has a set of circumstances that diapers and computer classes will effect.

The count from the protesters was 11 clients empowering themselves to access  safe, legal reproductive and sexual medicine.