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A few months ago, I was interviewed for a documentary on abortion directed by Bruce Isacson (you know, "Jaffe" in Outbreak? No? Neither did I…). At one point during a break, one of the crew mentioned that they have had a significantly more challenging time finding pro-choice people to participate in the project.
"Perhaps," I suggested," it is because they are afraid to since the so-called 'pro-life' side likes to threaten to kill us."
You think I am overreacting? Let's go by the numbers. How many pro-choice people have assassinated anti-choice organizers? I could not think of any offhand, and a Google search offers none. How many actual human beings – living and breathing, with family and friends who love them and value them – have been killed by so-called "pro-lifers?" Well, Dr. Bernard Slepian was killed in his kitchen upon return from synagogue by a life-saving sniper. Dr. David Gunn was shot and killed in the parking lot of the clinic he worked in. Religious Tolerance counts 24 murders and attempted murders by "pro-life" folks from 1993-2004. Almost 150 bombings, arsons, or attempted bombings or arsons took place against clinics, many with people inside. Further, 11,449 incidents with hate mail, harassing phone calls, bomb threats, and other terrorist tactics have been employed by "pro-life" advocates.
Which brings me to the tragedy currently taking place today in Aurora, IL. Emily Lockwood from Planned Parenthood reports:
As you may have heard, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora, Illinois has become ground zero in the fight for women's access to reproductive health care. The Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora was just built and is the largest PP clinic in the country which makes it the #1 target for anti-choice groups. Anti-choice groups have sent thousands of protesters to the clinic -- more people are protesting this clinic than we've seen for a long time, and their goal is to stop the clinic from opening. To be honest, it's going to take all of our efforts to open this clinic, and we're trying to rally with national support. The anti-choice bloggers are all over this, and I'm hoping we can get the pro-Planned Parenthood message out there quickly so that women in Aurora and across the country know they are safe and welcome at our clinics.
What people can do to stand with Planned Parenthood:
>> Ribbon campaign: We are asking Planned Parenthood supporters across the country stand with us by filling out a form to have a ribbon in their name tied outside the clinic in Aurora.
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/aurora1/b0809htr08>> Donate to keep our doors open:
https://secure.ga0.org/02/aurora1/b0809htr08Quick points about Aurora and the protests:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-iss...>> On August 25, hundreds of anti-choice extremists picketed near the site of the Planned Parenthood clinic as part of a "40-day prayer vigil" to protest the opening.
>> Aurora is home to some of the most radical anti-abortion organizers. Despite the attacks on Planned Parenthood from these extremists, Planned Parenthood of Chicago is determined to bring reproductive health care to a community that is lacking access to services like contraception, disease prevention, and sex education.
>> At the helm of the campaign is Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League. Scheidler made his name in 1980’s when he called for the “year of pain and fear” for reproductive health care providers and patients. He as been quoted as saying: “For instance, several years ago we tracked down a twelve-year-old girl who was going to have an abortion so that we could talk her out of it. Talking a woman out of having an abortion is not news. But tracking her down by using a private detective is" and has vowed to stop abortion “by any means necessary.”
>> Aurora is a largely Hispanic and working class community, and Planned Parenthood saw a growing health care need: Illinois ranked seventh-highest in 2005 for chlamydia rates and 11th-highest for gonorrhea, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Guttmacher Institute reports that among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Illinois ranks 46th in the availability of contraceptive services and supplies. In Illinois, 1,558,620 women are in need of contraceptive services and supplies.
>> As in communities across the country, Planned Parenthood is stepping up to help Aurora’s families, which need health care access desperately like so many Americans. We saw this in South
