Servalbear
Louisville, KY
Female, 63
We are a group of volunteers who escort clients and their companions past anti-abortion protesters. We are not security or clinic defense. We are present to support people and create space for them to be empowered while accessing reproductive healthcare. The time escorting can be stressful and emotional, but we feel it is important to support a client's right to make the decision best for them. Abortion is not a dirty word and should be accessible to anyone. Read our blog to find out more.
We stand back and let them talk. It is always the client's decision to make about everything concerning the clinic trip. If they decide to talk to the protesters, it is their decision and we will not interfere. If they want to take the pamphlets protesters hand to them, we will not interfere.
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No. Our volunteer group are a diverse group of people. We have escorts who range in age from 18 to 72; they self-identify as female and male. There are generations of family groups who volunteer together. Some have had abortions themselves, but a great number have not. The one thing we have in common is the firm belief that access to abortion and reproductive health care should be without stigma, shame or harassment of any kind.
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Not to my knowledge. Federal law protecting escorts would take precedence over a state or local legislation. The FACE Act prohibits interfering with clinic escorts. It protects "People accompanying patients, such as a parent, partner, or clinic escort." There have been clinic escorts present at abortion clinics across the US for as long as there have been protesters. Many cities support the work escorts are performing. In fact, New York City is training volunteers to be clinic escorts. (Link to FACE facts: http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/face_act.html ; Link to New York City: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/10/28/good-new-york-city-embracing-clinic-escorts )
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There is rarely a need for escorts after the client enters the clinic, but we can be available. Most procedures take between 2-4 hours. The majority of protesters leave the area at 8A. When the protesters leave, there is no longer a need for escorts.
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Chef
Do you get offended when a customer sends back a dish?
Track and Field Coach
Do you let your athletes play another sport in the off-season?
Bowling Alley Attendant
What do bowling alleys do to keep those nasty shoes clean/sanitary?
We always ask clients if they want us to escort them past protesters. It is their trip to the doctor and we trust their judgment. Many times we will be told, "We have this" or "They won't bother me" or simply "No, thank you." There are more clients who accept our offers, but many are fine with walking by themselves.
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There are very few. The average is probably about 2 per month, or less than .5%. Once the appointment is made most clients have researched the subject, consulted people in their lives they trust and have made their decision. There is also by law a 24-hour waiting period after receiving mandated counseling before an abortion can be performed. This allows further time to think about the decision before having an abortion. Clinic personnel participate in one-on-one discussions with a client on the appointment day before performing a procedure to make sure the client is sure and they are not being coerced. When a client is still conflicted about the decision as they arrive for their appointment, escorts will answer their questions but will leave them alone unless they ask us to escort them. It is their decision to make, not ours.
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Good question and one that is complicated to answer. Personally, I have always believed passionately in access to reproductive health care including abortion and contraception for everyone who wants or needs them. Since 1 in 3 women have an abortion in the US, like everyone else I have known several friends over the years who have had abortions. These were personal decisions they shared with me that reaffirmed the need for abortion access. I knew about anti-abortion movements, but Dr. Tiller's murder May 31, 2009 was my wake up call. Because Roe v Wade made abortion legal in the US it didn't mean it would always be accessible. The first time I volunteered at the clinic and saw the harassment clients went through to exercise their right to abortion, I could not turn away from escorting.
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