A picture is worth a million words

But not against the law.

Many of you have commented here and elsewhere in the blogosphere if taking photographs of clients is illegal. It is not. Thus the insane paparazzi business that seems to make two small boys hold hands in horror while mommy drives them away(yes, I made a Britney reference).

A few of you have suggested that Planned Parenthood then go and snap this guy's photo. We tried. He ran away.

Nothing new to report on the vacant lot situation though. Once we have something to report, it will show up here.

Thanks for all the support. The staff really appreciates it.

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?

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.