It’s bad enough that women can’t just show up at clinics that provide abortions, for whatever reproductive health need they have, without getting harassed by anti-choicers. It would be nice if these clinics didn’t need to have volunteer escorts to walk patients past anti-choice protesters until they’re safely inside. (Actually, it would be nice if they didn’t have to go to special clinics at all.) And it’s downright frustrating — and, c’mon, really should be illegal — when anti-choicers start donning fake escort vests to trick women seeking reproductive health services into listening to their diatribes.
But you just have to laugh when they allege that people volunteer at reproductive health clinics as escorts because they enjoy waking up early on a Saturday and having an excuse to be mean.
After Jos posted on Feministing on anti-choicers impersonating escorts in Louisville, KY, one of the anti-choicers featured in their video decided to speak up against being “misrepresented” (by visual and audio footage of you?). She claims that escorts insult the antis for “simply say[ing] good morning or hello.” Bullshit. Harassing women, who may or may not be there for an abortion — not that it’s any of your business — while they are clearly trying to walk away from you, imposing your religious views and God on them, and telling them what’s going on in their bodies (are you their doctor?) is not a simple hello.
The post quotes from another article on a Florida clinic, where one of the anti-choice harassers claims, “We’re trying to have them take the time to think about what they are doing.”
Jos hits the nail on the head with her response: “These antis have such a low opinion of patients entering the clinic they think these women haven’t thought about their abortions, an expensive and unfortunately controversial medical procedure, before showing up for their appointments? And they think dishonest, cruel, and sensationalist posters and rhetoric will help?”
Photo credit: IntangibleArts