I'm Not Sorry

A friend emailed this comment to me. Apparently she had technical difficulty posting this as the squiggly letters never were readable.

Perhaps a request at http://www.imnotsorry.net/ might get some women to speak up at the next City Council meeting.Many of us have posted our experience with abortion there. Being alive means making choices, and most of us who have chosen elective termination of our own pregnancy feel relief and we are not sorry we made the choice. I am in California and I hope the women closer to you will be sure to voice their support for our right to determine when and whether we should become a parent. Carrying a pregnancy to term entails physical risks.

Elective termination early inpregnancy is less risky. Girls and women need to know this fact. Our planet is groaning with too many of us already. Please review your reasons (and the dirty air and water your offspring will have to cope with) before you use your vital life energies to produce even one more of us. Millions of children are in desperate need of a home. Please adopt if you need to parent. And do all you can to get the Aurora clinic opened so that othe rwomen and girls will have real healthcare choices that they can afford. Jean Richards

I'mNotSorry.net is a site where women can share their positive experiences with abortion. The stories are moving. They are from women, young and old, some with children, some without, some used birth control, some did not. All are not sorry for having abortions. If you feel that you can not share your story with us here or in a City Council meeting, please submit your story to this website. Please let us know if you want us to read your story at a meeting too.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Illinois

The opponents of abortion believe that they have God on their side. And somehow we are to jump to the conclusion that those of us who support reproductive freedom don't. That is utterly false.

Today in the Aurora Beacon should be (I haven't seen it yet) an ad taken out by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Illinois. This is to remind everyone that some very God fearng people are on the side of Planned Parenthood and believe that contraception and yes, even abortion, are not in violation to their beliefs. Here is the text of the ad:

To the Good People of Aurora:

Protests against the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora do not represent the views of the larger faith community and clergy. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Illinois represents over 40 different denominations and faith-based organizations.

We believe that women and families should be able to make reproductive health decisions according to their own religious beliefs and conscience. We believe that women are moral decision-makers. We advocate for a woman's right to make moral decisions about all aspects of her reproductive health, including the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

We arrive at this view from a range of different theological positions consistent with the teachings of our diverse faiths. Because of the many differences among our religious teachings, we believe the government and other people should not impose any one belief on all of us. To do so would violate the individual freedom of belief and conscience is embedded in our American way.

We the undersigned are pro faith, pro family, and pro choice. We support the programs and services of Planned Parenthood regarding women's reproductive health and self-determination. We call on all people of good faith to respect each other and not try to impose their beliefs on others. We urge everyone to work together to support comprehensive, quality health care and to let each individual make their own personal choices regarding what health care they will seek. We urge the city to let the clinic open.

It's not just Aurora

With all the action happening over here in Aurora, you would think that the anti's would have other things to do with their free time. Nope. Joseph Scheidler has been spotted outside the Near North clinic in Chicago.

This is even more evidence that what is happening in Aurora is happening to you. Chicago is not immune to the anti's. Not all of so-called liberal viewpoints can keep the anti-abortion & anti-contraception forces away from our clinic.

I talked about fear in my first post and I'll do it again. Fear is a powerful tool. Even if not one more act of violence occurs outside or inside a women's health care clinic, that fear will remain. And that fear may keep a young woman, scared that she has a STD after her partner tested positive, from keeping her appointment for a screening. That fear may keep a low-income woman who found a lump in her breast from coming in to finally have an annual check-up after a decade of being without health insurance.

This man and his followers are outside the Near North clinic as part of "40 Days of Life." These 40 days will NOT be spent just outside of the Aurora clinic or just outside of Chicago area clinics. They are going to 89 cities in 33 different states. I think that reasonable people hold differing religious views on abortion, but gathering in prayer and protest in front of health centers has been used repeatedly as a tool to intimidate and harass patients and staff.

Least you think that those involved in these acts are only opposed to abortion. Scheidler and the PLAL are opposed to any artificial contraception devices. Yes, they want to outlaw abortion and birth control. I've met many anti-abortion people, especially women, who scoff at this idea. They know that to prevent abortions, women and men must have access and knowledge of birth control methods.

For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood's high-quality health care services have helped women and couples prevent unintended pregnancy and plan strong, healthy families. Every year five million women, men and teens worldwide rely on Planned Parenthood for health care information, education, and services. The overwhelming majority of Planned Parenthood services focus on prevention.

And that is why Planned Parenthood is in Aurora, Chicago, and perhaps a town near you. To provide women with the health care they want and need. Now what's so scary about that?

Sen. Barack Obama's statement on our center

We just got this great statement in from our Senator!

STATEMENT ON THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD FACILITY IN AURORA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement on Planned Parenthood's decision to open a new facility in Aurora, Illinois:

"I fully support Planned Parenthood's desire to open a new facility in Aurora. Planned Parenthood will provide a valuable and necessary service to the Aurora community, which has seen an increase in the uninsured population, as well as an increase in sexually transmitted disease rates. The proposed center will serve the growing population in a part of the state where access to a full range of reproductive health care services is lacking. Every day the health center is not open, more women go without critical services such as pap tests, contraceptive care, cancer screening, and breast exams."

"I hope the investigation by city officials into the permit process can be concluded as quickly and fairly as possible, so that this important facility can begin its operations."

Join in on the debate

Hi everyone, I'm Veronica, the new blogger for Planned Parenthood Aurora. I'll be doing a lot of posts as I allow the staff to get back to their jobs of providing reproductive health care to the people of the Chicago region.

Are you just as frustrated by the Aurora situation as I am? I know you are! Are you also frustrated by the general animosity towards women's bodies and our reproductive rights? We're in luck! There's a townhall meeting at UIC on October 11th:

The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum present...

Understanding Reproductive Justice:
Reclaiming Choice and Broadening the Movement

Thursday, October 11
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
800 South Halsted Street
Chicago
Free and open to the public.
Reservations are required.

For more information or to reserve your place, contact the Illinois Caucus
for Adolescent Health online,
by e-mail, or by calling 312.427.4460 x233.
Reservations must be made by October 9

To find out more about the event please see the event's webpage.

Abortion and reproductive health care is often not discussed in public and we need to change that. We need to be talking about our own abortions, how clinics like Planned Parenthood saved us in college when we were poor and needed birth control, or how we're thirty and still relying on Planned Parenthood because we don't have health insurance. Our continued silence only allows those who want to control our bodies to hold the mic.

I have heard from friends, read your comments & blogs. Why weren't there more pro-choice voices at recent City Council meetings? Why did supporters leave meetings early? It is my belief that the history of clinic violence keeps some silent. The fact that the anti-choice leaders picket clinic workers homes keeps us silent. I urge all of you to use your voice. "Show your pro-choice face" was a campaign years ago. I now ask Aurora, the Chicago area, Illinois, and the rest of the country to please let us hear your pro-choice voice.

Did you notice the blog stickers on our side bar? Download one and put it on your blog, your MySpace page, or where ever you hang out online. Print them on stickers and put them on your folders, books, etc. Add us as a friend on MySpace and put us on your top friends! The possibilities are endless. But we need you!

I'd like to thank Planned Parenthood Chicago Area for bringing me on board. I've been a pro-choice activist since college, pro-choice my whole life, and even logged some hours as a clinic volunteer in the Near North clinic. "All I did" was check in clients, but it an important job. Greeting clients with a smile made them feel at ease. It's still mind-boggling that even going for birth control can be controversial. But enough about me.

I was listening to Drex in the Morning on KISS FM a few days ago and he took a call from a young woman who thanked Planned Parenthood for her 4-year-old daughter. The caller said that she had gotten pregnant, her boyfriend & her went to their abortion appointment and as with every woman who walks in they counseled her. It was the PP staff person who helped her realize that she really wanted to carry her pregnancy to term.

Do you have a story of how Planned Parenthood helped you? Share it here in this thread! Send a thank you to that nurse practitioner who gently talked you through your first gynecological exam.

Blog Roundup and More Media

A slide show of more images from the rally is available here. More photos are available here. If you took pictures of the rally and would like us to link to them, please let us know in the comments.

We also interviewed two members of Planned Parenthood / Chicago Area's Board of Directors at their meeting this past week. Their interviews are available on YouTube here and here.

The rally at Aurora City Hall and our continued fight to open the health center has also generated quite a bit of support in the blogosphere. In addition to posts that we've already linked to over the past week here's some more worth checking out:

The Real Estate of Abortion Politics
The American Prospect

Women's health care
Chicago Tribune News Blog

Aurora Rally for Planned Parenthood
The Curvature

Nugget of activism: Planned Parenthood in Aurora, unsubstantiated claims
General Carlessness

Aurora Clinic Opponents Misinterpret Zoning Laws
Feminist Daily News

New podcast and why Planned Parenthood has a right to fight back against racketeering
Pandagon

Fixation on Glass

It is really creepy how anti-choice bloggers are fixated on the bullet-proof glass in our health center. If you search Google’s blogsearch for “planned parenthood” and “bulletproof glass” there’s over 50 self-righteous blog posts accusing us of “hiding behind” this glass.

And in regards to our health center Eric Scheilder has even gone so far as to claim:

Every brick, every sheet of “bullet proof glass,” [emphasis added] every blade of grass being protected by that dangerous fencing erected along the sidewalk was placed in violation of the law.

It’s an obsession of theirs. It's ironic since anti-choice extremists themselves forced us install to bullet-proof glass and other extreme safety measures in our health centers. (see here and here). In the past twenty years abortion providers have been harassed, beaten and killed by anti-choice groups. These same groups have also targeted clinics that provide abortions, committing arson, bombings, anthrax scares, and even attacking health centers with butyric acid. Is it any wonder that Planned Parenthood has taken drastic measures to protect our staff, volunteers and patients?

While the anti-choice demonstrations in Aurora have been peaceful, the movement is not above stooping to drastic tactics. Indeed, check out this well-researched post by ArchPundit on Joseph Scheilder, Eric’s father and one of the ringleaders here in Aurora.

Given all of that, their obsession with our glass is even more disquieting.

Link from The Nation

Peter Rothburg of The Nation wrote this great blog post about the Aurora Health Center and our fight to open. After calling upon his readers to support us, Peter closed with:

What's happening in Aurora today is not an isolated situation. It's part of a continuing war on women's access to abortion services across our country. Planned Parenthood is on the battlefield organizing the counter-attack and it needs all the support it can get.

Peter is right, this fight isn't just about one health center in one community. Through their own actions, the anti-choice protestors have made this into a symbol of the fight for women's right to choice what's best for their bodies throughout the United States. Planned Parenthood will not back down from this fight and we will open our health center.

Keep the momentum going...

As you've seen from past posts on this blog, something incredible happened Tuesday night in Aurora. Nearly 300 Planned Parenthood supporters created a sea of pink t-shirts in front of the Aurora city hall to rally for the opening of our health center. It was an incredible night.

Help us keep the momentum going! Please join us at Aurora City Hall this Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 4 pm. We'll have staff in the meeting, so the earlier you can get there the more likely you are to be able to join us inside (the meeting itself starts at 5 pm). The address is 44 E. Downer Place, 5th floor conference room, Downtown Aurora.

The deadline for the city's review of our permitting process is the end of this week so we anticipate that it will be discussed at Tuesday's meeting. While we've been told that there won't be a public comment period at this meeting, it is open to the public. For those of you that didn't pick up a shirt last Tuesday, we'll have t-shirts and signs available outside until we run out.

Thanks for helping us turn the tide on the opposition! We are especially grateful to all of the courageous Aurora residents who spoke in favor of our health center at last Tuesday's meeting. See you soon!

Deception, Lies and Misinformation

Yet again the anti-choice side is stooping to outright lies and misinformation in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Planned Parenthood from opening our clinic.

As several of our supporters have reported (here and here) one of the antis' major talking points at Tuesday’s meeting was a supposed permit non-profit organizations need in order to operate a health center in Aurora. This false claim was put forward by anti-choice lawyer Vince Tessitore. Upon this the entire anti-choice argument staked their claim. Anti-choice rabble-rouser Eric Scheilder even went so far as to claim:

Every brick, every sheet of “bullet proof glass,” every blade of grass being protected by that dangerous fencing erected along the sidewalk was placed in violation of the law.

Trying a little hard eh? This is outright misinformation specifically crafted to confuse and muddle the issue. The Aurora Beacon News reported on this false claim today and quoted the response of city officials to Tessitore’s claim:

…city officials on Wednesday said that since the Planned Parenthood health center is in a planned development district, those codes don't apply.

The center occupies land that was part of a 4,000-acre annexation in August 1973, the same one that brought the Westfield Fox Valley mall into Aurora. This area has its own zoning laws, through planned development district rules, and those laws don't require a special-use permit for medical centers, said Carie Anne Ergo, the city's public information officer.

So there you go. Just to reiterate because it bears repeating: there was no need for special non-profit permitting for the Aurora Health Center. Like the multiple reviews by the City Council, this is yet another red herring tossed in by the anti-choice side who’s trying desperately to keep our center from opening.

In the Aurora City Council Meeting

Daily Kos’s Got a Grip has posted about their experience inside the Aurora City Council meeting. They do a great job examining the major arguments and falsehoods the anti-choice side kept spouting and takes them down one by one.

They also express frustration that Planned Parenthood did not have more people in the city council meeting itself to counter these claims.

We are extremely grateful for Got a Grip’s participation in the city council process. As you can see we were able to turn out hundreds in support of our clinic. While the pro-choice citizens of Aurora have mobilized and become engaged in this issue, in many cases it was too late for them to get on the list to speak for this meeting. We did encourage our supporters to sign up a head of time so they could make a statement. It seems that many choose not to and we can only speculate as to why that is – it’s clear from our turn out that it’s not for a lack of support.

In the meantime we will do everything we can to make it more clear to Aurora citizen’s that they must sign up to make a statement ahead of time and to support the Aurora resident’s who choose to do this. We hope we can count on Got a Grip’s support in getting the word out to more Aurora residents about the city council process and the need for residents to sign up ahead of time and comment on this issue. We’re working right now on finding out what the procedure will be for the next city council meeting and we will post that information as soon as we find out.

Got A Grip also expresses their frustration that there are not more people are not fully mobilized and aware that a woman’s right to access abortion services is not set in stone. If you are tired of the anti-choice people having their say at the expense of ours, join our email action network. We’ll keep you updated on how you can become involved.

Videos Uploaded from the Rally

We’ve posted lots of videos from last night’s rally on our YouTube Channel. They give you a bit of an idea what it was like to be standing there on the streets of Aurora.

They're still a few more that are being processed and uploaded so check back!

Back from the Rally

The rally has been totally exhilarating! At the height of it, we had about 250-300 people there and we outnumbered the anti-choice demonstrators by around 2 to 1. People driving by on the street were honking and waving and our chants and screams were the only thing that could be heard for blocks in any direction.

It's not over yet--our supports are still out there strong at Aurora City Hall waving signs and acting as a very visable (and audible) demonstration to Aurora city officials that we will not go away until the Aurora Health Center is open for business!

More commentary, images, video, and a report on the City Council meeting later. Stay tuned!

***Edit: Images from the rally are up on Flickr!***

Out of the woodwork…

Talk about extremists. Just this afternoon Father Frank Pavone spoke to anti-choicers outside of our health center. Pavone played a major role in the media circus surrounding the Terri Schiavo case.

For more on Pavone, check out this post on ArchPundit.

We need your help to drown out the anti-choicers as they import their most infamous provocateurs from around the nation. Please join us tonight for a pro-choice rally at the Aurora City Council meeting. Supporters should arrive at 5:00pm at 44 E. Downer Place, Downtown Aurora. Call the City Clerk of Aurora at 630-844-3619 to reserve your spot at the meeting and to speak in support of our clinic.

Blog Roundup and YouTube from Ani's Concert

We've gotten some really good calls for people to come our Rally this evening, at Aurora City Hall.

Rally for the the Aurora Planned Parenthood clinic TODAY
Feministing - http://feministing.com/

Pro-Choice Rally Tuesday at 5 in Aurora
ArchPundit - http://archpundit.com/blog

Pro-Choice Rally in Aurora TOMORROW
The Curvature - http://thecurvature.com/

We also have uploaded video from Ani DiFranco’s concert!

This is the Opposition?

In the Tribune this morning, Eric Zorn has a piece that does a good job of getting into the mindset of Joe Scheidler, one of the principle anti-choice leaders who has been fighting to keep our clinic closed. The most telling quote:

"We don't play footsie,…[w]e use whatever legal means we can to stop abortion."

Zorn goes on to discuss some of the underhanded tactics that Scheidler’s group has used, such as demonstrating in front of our contractors’ homes, and photographing their license plates. Scheidler is shameless in his explanation of these intimidation tactics. In responding to the allegations he said:

“And one way to discourage them from working there is to find out where they live, then go into their neighborhoods with a protest to let their neighbors know what they do for a living.”

This is the rational, peaceful demonstration leader that the press have made him out to be up to this point? Click here to read the full story. Here’s some more actual quote from Scheidler:

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.
Joseph Schiedler, The Director Pro Life Action League, Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion, 1985

They want abortion. It is necessary to their filthy lifestyle. We've got a cesspool instead of morality. If we don't start imposing our morality, we are going to drown in their immorality.

MAN WITH A MISSION JOE SCHEIDLER PULLS NO PUNCHES IN HIS CRUSADE AGAINST ABORTION, interview with Linda Witt, Chicago Tribune, August 11, 1985 Sunday

These are the people that have been trying to paint us as an extremist organization?! If you want to know what the average Planned Parenthood support looks like in contrast, you need go no further than our interviews from last week.

This is why we’re asking you to come to our rally tonight at 5:00 in front of the Aurora City Hall. Show the city of Aurora that we are the mainstream, rational ones, out looking to improve health care in our communities. If you live out-of-state, click here for more info on how you can become involved.

Concert Update

This Saturday night, Adrianne, the Manager of our Aurora Health Center, went to Ani DiFranco’s concert and spoke to a packed Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. "If there were any open seats in the place," Adrianne said, " I didn't see 'em." Right before Ani went on for her first set, Adrienne spoke and told the crowd all about our new health center and the rally tomorrow at Aurora City Council headquarters.

The crowd was completely supportive and got up en masse when Adrianne said that they could get more information and take action by going to our table. Our table was completely overwhelmed with supporters and people who wanted to know how they could make a difference. If you would like more info or would like to join us tomorrow at the rally, click here.

Speaking of support, click here for a great post by Amanda Marcotte on RH Reality Check.

Thanks Ani!

Ani DiFranco has posted about our health clinic in her myspace blog. For any readers who are coming from there, click here to see how you can get involved and help us open our health center in Aurora.

She's also allowing us to table at her concert Saturday at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. If you're going to the concert, stop by our table there. We'll have materials and different ways that you can help us.

If you're in the Aurora area on Tuesday evening, come to our pro-choice rally at Aurora City Hall!

Call The Aurora City Government!

We’re putting the pressure on Aurora’s city government! Tom Weisner, the Mayor of Aurora has the authority to grant a permit so that Planned Parenthood can see patients - but instead he has caved to anti-choice pressure and has blocked Planned Parenthood from seeing patients. Mayor Weisner needs to end this escalating political battle over the right to access reproductive health care.

Call the Mayor and the City Council to demand that they allow Planned Parenthood to serve the women of Aurora!

• Mayor Tom Weisner’s Office: (630) 844-3612
• Aurora City Council (630) 844-3619
• Aurora City Hall (630) 264-4636

If you would like talking points or if you would prefer to email the Aurora City Council, click here.

Blog Roundup - Week of September 16th

We've gotten a lot of really supportive blog posts over the past twenty-four hours. Many bloggers are calling for people to come out to Aurora and join us for our rally on Tuesday. Remember, if you're in the Aurora area, the rally at Aurora City Hall at 5:00 p.m. will be a powerful symbol of the community's support for Planned Parenthood and a loud call for the health services we provide.

Here's a partial list of the blog coverage we've gotten:

• Battle Over The Aurora Planned Parenthood: Is God Pro-Choice?
  BlogHer - Feminism & Gender
• Fringe Wingnuts Try To Shut Down A Planned Parenthood In Aurora
  Brave New Films blog
• Who Chooses for Aurora?
  Chicago Moms Blog
• Planned Parenthood Aurora: Vote Online
  Daily Kos
• Under 35: Politocozation of Sex
  Daily Kos
• No abortion access in my well-manicured lawn
  Feministing
• Breaking news–anti-abortion protestors preventing Planned ...
  Firedoglake
• The New Epicenter of the Abortion
  Our Bodies Our Blog
• Aurora, IL Planned Parenthood Clinic Opening Stalled
  Real Women, Real Voices
• All Women’s Rights Are Not Created Equal
  women 4 hope
• Planned Parenthood Aurora - Liveblogging From Chicago
  WurfWhile

Want to get involved? Join us today!

Planned Parenthood is in the fight to open the Aurora health center for the long haul. We will not let anything get in the way of our mission of providing much-needed healthcare to the people who need it most.

Help us achieve our goal of opening the health center! Here is how you can get involved:

If you’re local to the Aurora or Chicago area:
Join other Planned Parenthood supporters for a Pro-choice Rally this Tuesday, September 25th, 5:00pm Aurora City Hall! We will provide t-shirts and signs until we run out to anyone who shows up to stand in support of the Aurora Planned Parenthood health center.

If you can’t make it to the rally you can still take action:

• Donate your time, email volunteer@ppca.org for more information.
• E-mail the Aurora City Council
• E-mail a Letter to the Editor
• Request a "This Family Supports Planned Parenthood" yard sign

If you’re further away but would still like to be involved, please consider making a donation to support Planned Parenthood.

For more information, check out the links below:

• In defense of Planned Parenthood's deceptions in Aurora: Sometimes the only way to get fairness will make your foes cry foul
• Chicago Sun Times: Let This Clinic Open (today's editorial page)
• Planned Parenthood Aurora Web Site (general info about the clinic)

Official Statements from Planned Parenthood

Statement of Steve Trombley
President and CEO, Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area
September 20, 2007

Today’s ruling by Judge Norgle means that Planned Parenthood will be back in court to present additional material, facts and information that substantiate our request for an injunction to open our Aurora Health Center. Unfortunately today’s ruling means that, yet again, we will have to reschedule appointments for our patients.

Our main concern is that every day our health center is not open, more women go without pap tests, birth control supplies and breast exams. These are critical services that this community has been lacking and that we will provide.

We anticipate being back in court shortly, and as per the judge’s recommendation, we intend to amend our complaint. Judge Norgle’s ruling was very narrow in its scope and he encouraged us to amend our filing and represent our case. In his words, “This case is far from over.”

We are confident that when the additional material is reviewed, our health center will be allowed to open its doors.

Statement of Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Today's ruling is a disappointment and will only serve to encourage the campaign of harassment and intimidation being waged by anti-choice extremists against health care providers and their patients nationwide. Planned Parenthood will pursue every legal option to ensure the residents of Aurora get the health care services they need as quickly as possible. It's time to put a stop to politics trumping health care for women, men and teens. City leaders must stop bowing to political pressure and allow Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area to get back to the business of providing much-needed health care to the community.

Live blogging from Federal Court in Chicago

9:15AM: We just got to the courthouse. There are about 25 people in the courtroom. When we got here, the antis were sitting right behind us with their kids (by the way, isn't it a school day?), but they moved right away when we piled in. The kids look miserable.

9:30AM: Steve Trombley, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Chicago Area, and our lawyers have arrived at the courthouse.

9:40AM: The courtroom is starting to fill up, and we are getting a lot of cold looks from across the aisle.

9:49AM: Court officials are arriving.

9:51AM: Court is now in session, there are about 75 people in the room. And in case anyone is wondering, Eric Scheidler is not one of them.

9:55AM: Eric Scheidler just arrived, he's sitting right behind us.

10:09AM: The judge is hearing other cases right now -- we're just sitting tight.

10:21AM: Here we go. Our case is starting. The judge is discussing the motion of extension, and he is skeptical of the city's claim.

10:22AM: The city lawyer is arguing the motion, and the judge is giving him a very hard time. For any newbies to the case, this is a good thing.

10:24AM: The judge is questioning why the city is bringing the state's attorney, John Basanti into the process. We too have been wondering why yet another attorney was brought in.

10:30AM: The judge denied the motion. We're starting our argument. Point #1: The city has repeatedly put up special discriminatory procedures against us.

10:36AM: We are presenting our evidence.

10:46AM: Much discussion of specific legal language.

10:51AM: We are going over the exact timeline of the past year.

10:56AM: There's a priest standing in the aisle, scowling. Which automatically reminds me of how amazing this Planned Parenthood supporter is.

11:02AM: We are concluding our remarks. We are arguing that that the services our clinic provides are constitutionally protected rights, and the city of Aurora is blocking them. The city attorney is visibly agitated.

11:05AM: We are arguing that irreperable harm is happening every day that the city's review continues and the clinic remains closed.

11:07AM: The city attorney's hands are shaking.

11:08AM: We are in recess for 10 minutes. Stay tuned!

11:12AM: The feeling in the courtroom is very tense.

11:21AM: We're back in session. The city is starting its opening arguments.

11:24AM: The city just compared Planned Parenthood to OJ Simpson.

11:26AM: The city attorney said "The city of Aurora's image is important."

11:28AM: More from the attorney: "The abortion right is not exactly crystal clear to the average person." Say what?

11:42AM: The city is arguing that it is trying to please the greatest number of people. The judge is ordering the city to read the full email of the anti-choice alderman.

11:45AM: The city is describing the selection of the independent review and says the review will be completed in 7 days.

11:46AM: The city is arguing that the delay in the clinic's opening is Planned Parenthood's fault.

11:54AM: The city is arguing that this case is all about land use and fraud in permitting. Not about abortion.

11:55AM: The city closed its argument. We are responding.

11:56AM: We are arguing that the clinic should open regardless.

11:58AM: Our lawyers: "We wouldn't be here if this was a foot care clinic."

12:04PM: We concluded our response. It's the city's turn again.

12:05PM: The judge is discussing the argument.

12:06PM: Now the judge is discussing precedent.

12:13PM: The judge's tone is negative toward us in this discussion.

12:18PM: The judge is saying that there is a dearth of evidence showing discrimination and that there was not enough time for a reasonable investigation.

12:20PM: In its present form, the judge is denying the motion. He is leaving the option open to refile.

12:22PM: The judge said that by no means is the case over. He said that the delay itself is not of constitutional magnitude, but that could change.

12:24PM: Court is adjourned. The judge has denied the motion on the ground that we haven't provided enough evidence. We can reapply later when we have more evidence. But for now, the clinic has to remain closed.

12:28PM: And I should add -- this isn't over for us either. We WILL keep fighting to open this clinic. And of course, we'll keep you posted.

Back to Court Tomorrow

Planned Parenthood will return to the courtroom tomorrow morning to present Judge Norgle with additional evidence as to why he should grant Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area an injunction to open our health center in Aurora.

We believe that City of Aurora has no legal basis for blocking the opening of the facility and that its revocation of a temporary operating permit is motivated solely by political opposition to the constitutionally protected right to abortion services.

Click here to read our legal briefs (1) (2) (3).

We will be liveblogging from Chicago Federal Court tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!

Volunteer Interviews on YouTube!

Yesterday, Emily and I drove down to the Aurora health center for the first time for the volunteer appreciation party. The turnout was fantastic and everyone seemed really energized.

Several of the volunteers were kind enough to agree to be interviewed by me about why they support Planned Parenthood, why the health center is good for Aurora and the surrounding communities and how long they’ve been involved. The results are really inspiring.

Driving down Emily and I decided that if we could get 3-4 good interviews that had some useable footage would have hit a home run.

Each and every person we spoke to was inspiring.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see for yourself. We’ll be posting more videos over the next several days.

Setting the Record Straight

This post on Openline implies both that the Aurora health clinic has opened for business in defiance of the law and that the Aurora city council is complicit in that illegality.

Both statements are categorically false. Planned Parenthood has always and will continue to operate within the guidelines set by local, state, and federal statues. Our clinic is not open for business. Furthermore, the city of Aurora has been not been “looking the other way.” In fact, over the past twenty-four hours city officials have made two unannounced inspections of the Aurora facility.

Every day that this situation continues is another day that women across the western suburbs are denied access to vital health services. Planned Parenthood will continue to use every resource at our disposal to fight for the rights of women of Aurora and the surrounding communities.

Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area Calls on City of Aurora to Release Reports by Luetkehans, Martens

CHICAGO – Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area today called on the City of Aurora to release reports prepared by two outside attorneys into the permitting process for its new health center at the same time they are forwarded to yet another attorney chosen by the City to look into the matter.

The City Council on Tuesday night asked Kane County State’s Attorney John Basanti to review reports by attorneys Richard Martens and Phillip Luetkehans regarding the permitting process. Martens, one of Illinois’ most respected municipal law experts, was dismissed by the Council late last month and replaced by the Itasca-based Luetkehans, who has been active in Republican Party politics in DuPage County.

It’s not known when Luetkehans will complete his review, and no deadlines have been established, although City officials have suggested they expect it within days.

Steve Trombley, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area (PP/CA), said whatever the two outside attorneys have found to date, including documentation provided to them, should be released to the public before being transmitted to Barsanti.

“We’ve all waited long enough. All parties involved in this dispute deserve to know what these two outside attorneys found. Like everybody else involved in this matter, we want to know what these outside legal reviews have determined,” said Trombley.

“How long do we have to wait? This seems to be the never-ending review by the City,” Trombley said. “In the meantime, the women of Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties are waiting for our health center to open and provide vitally needed reproductive care services.”

He said this additional layer of legal review by the Kane County State’s Attorney supports PPCA’s contention, in its request for a federal court order allowing the Aurora health center to open, that the City’s review is “both undefined in scope and indefinite in nature.”

“Absent intervention by the federal court, Planned Parenthood may never be able to operate its facility in Aurora,” Trombley said, echoing language in the legal documents filed September 13 in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

On a separate but related matter, Trombley noted that anti-Planned Parenthood extremists in Colorado are now picketing the homes of executives for the construction company building a Planned Parenthood health center near Denver. In a posting on a Web site put up by the anti-Planned Parenthood group, its leader compares the facility to a Nazi concentration camp, and warns, “We will not stand by and let one of America’s largest construction companies build a Planned Parenthood death camp in tranquility.”

Trombley said those kinds of threats and use of extreme and inflammatory rhetoric, as well as the protests now going on outside the Aurora center, provide all the evidence needed to underscore the validity of PP/CA’s low-key approach during construction of the facility.

“We did everything we were legally required to do with the City of Aurora to get this building properly permitted. But it should come as no surprise to anybody that we took a low-key approach with the public during this process. Look no further for validation of that approach than what’s now happening out in Colorado, and the aggressive tactics of anti-choice forces here in Illinois,” Trombley said.

Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area will be back in U.S. District Court Thursday morning for a hearing on its request that Judge Charles Norgle issue a preliminary injunction that would allow the health center to open while the City conducts its legal review. The center was scheduled to open on September 18, but that has been put on hold pending resolution of the case now before Judge Norgle.

Give the Naperville Sun your opinion today!

The Naperville Sun is conducting an online survey titled " Do you think a Planned Parenthood facility should go into operation on the Naperville-Aurora border?". Right now we're trailing, although over 1000 people have voted for us.

Click here and scroll down, the survey is in the right-most column.

(Thanks to The So-Called "Austin City Mayor" Blog for the heads-up!)

Why this blog?

The fight for women's access to reproductive health care has landed in Aurora, Illinois, a fast-growing city outside Chicago, where Planned Parenthood just built our newest health center. While Aurora is one of the fastest growing communities in Illinois, the availability of health care has not increased at the same pace. The new Aurora site is designed to provide for the reproductive health care needs of a rapidly growing, but not medically well-served area.

Politics have kept Planned Parenthood from opening our clinic on time, but we will not back down from our goal of providing safe, affordable health care to the people of Aurora and the surrounding neighborhoods. Political pressure has come from all of the usual suspects in the anti-choice fringe who have showed up in droves. Unfortunately, more people are protesting this clinic than we've seen in a very long time.

Fortunately, Planned Parenthood’s local volunteers, staff, donors and other supports have also stood with us in the fight to open the Aurora health clinic. Supports have volunteered their time, put signs on their lawns, donated money, and signed petitions to show that Aurora and the surround communities stand with Planned Parenthood in the fight for affordable health care and women’s rights.