More protests at Aurora Health Center

This weekend the anti-choice protesters were at it again - this past Saturday protesters were shuttled over to the lot across from our Aurora Health Center. While anti-choicers billed this as one of their biggest protests, the turnout was much less than expected. Maybe some of these folks have finally come to their senses.

It's a real shame that our patients have to deal with ongoing harassment from anti-choice protesters - while simply trying to access health care. However, we are extremely grateful for our wonderful volunteer greeters. They play a crucial role in helping to make our patients as comfortable as possible while they are getting yelled at and harassed from protesters across the street.

Here's what one of our escorts had to say about Saturday:

This Saturday I answered the call to help out at the Planned Parenthood in Aurora, despite having an already packed schedule. I started my day at 5:00 a.m. to be at the clinic at 7:00 a.m., to help the women and families inside past the protesters waiting across the street.

Vans starting dropping people off in the field [across from the Aurora Health Center], and things started to take motion. Several men wore coats in the same color as our vests, in order to confuse the women and harass them more easily. They began erecting the 6 foot tall graphic signs... the shouters also arrived at the same time, and boy were they out in force!!

They even told a mother with her 4-year-old not go in because we murder children. When not harassing patients they turned to judging the escorts, telling us what God would think of us and how we should feel shame for what we were doing...

You can read more on Mary's blog.

Protesters ended their event with a balloon release - which happens to be horrible for the environment, by the way (check out this website for more info on the environmental harm of mass balloon releases). Each balloon was tagged with the name of an imaginary "child."

Yeah.

Anyway, hopefully the dwindling number of attendees at these massive protests means that the anti-choicers - who are at our health center every day - are getting tired of their ongoing harassment of women seeking health care. I know it’s a stretch, but one can hope.

Technorati tags: Aurora Health Center, Anti-choice protest, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois