Check out this podcast interview with Steve Trombley

Check out Amanda Marcotte's latest podcast on RH Reality Check. Amanda interviews Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area CEO, Steve Trombley about the latest in Aurora.

Amanda and Steve talk about the success of our Aurora center, where we're now seeing far more patients than we expected, as well as the support we've experienced from the community. Aurora residents continue to drop by our center to offer messages of support - one even sent a honey-baked ham to our staff!

Steve and Amanda also discuss the regional importance of the Aurora center as more states pass restrictions on abortion. As the battle over access to abortion continues, women will have to travel farther distances to terminate a pregnancy. This is another reason why our Aurora center is a critical resource for women in Illinois and throughout the region.

Amanda's podcast also takes on Bill O'Reilly, Matthew Dubay and Tyra. Listen to Amanda's podcast here.

Technorati tags: Steve Trombley, Aurora Health Center, abortion access, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois

The power of blogging

Newsweek covers feminist blogging. Who would have thunk it? They point to the huge success of the 2004 March for Women's Lives that brought out more than one million people. In the three years since the march, this is the ONLY citation I can find on their website about it. I guess late is better than never, eh? Criticism aside, it does mention THIS BLOG! I feel a slight brush with fame since I wasn't here at the beginning. Word to Nathan, Carrie & the crew!

"Older feminists worry that ERA-era feminism's declaration that "the personal is political" has been lost on the latest generation, who don't realize that their personal struggles should be addressed collectively." Despite what some GenX/Millennial feminist bloggers may think, I think that what happened right here in Aurora, Illinois, blue-state that it is labeled, shows that the personal is STILL the political. What can be more personal than control over our reproduction? And clearly, what happens in our wombs is still hotly political. That's coming from a GenX feminist mom who has reproduced and pumped her way through the March. Seriously!

The piece ends with this:

The space for that conversation may be the Internet, on sites like Feministing, Feministe, Pandagon and Echidne of the Snakes. Valenti of Feministing.com says feminist blogs drove the million-plus turnout at the 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C., and helped secure the opening earlier this month of a controversial Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora, Ill. But even if blogging can translate into real-world activism, will it be enough to hold a movement together? That's a question this generation of feminists will have to answer themselves.

I posed that question to PPCA CEO & President Steve Trombley. Did he feel that the feminist blogosphere was critical to the opening of the clinic?

I think that blogging can “hold the movement together” and that it definitely translates into “real-world activism” We wouldn’t have won the fight to open the Aurora clinic without the hundreds of local activists and thousands of national activists who showed up at rallies and contacted local officials in Aurora. While they may have heard about the fight from the media or from our action alerts — it was the blog that kept them involved in the fight. I heard this over and over from our supports both nationally and locally. As someone who started his career as an organizer I know that there is nothing more important than making sure that your activist are feeling “in the fight” and the blogging is a great way to give everyone a sense of being on the inside, of being involved and also ready to take action.

Thank you to everyone who visits and especially to those of you who take the time to comment. Thanks to everyone who reads and passes along information. Planned Parenthood serves the community and that is the mission for this blog. To serve you with information as long as it is needed and wanted. Now let's get out there and continue to make this world a better place.

technorati tags: Newsweek, feminist, feminist blogging, Planned Parenthood, Aurora, March for Women's Lives

Faux News

This is a screen shot from a piece FOX News did on the clinic at least a week ago. I just found it on YouTube and couldn't even finish watching it. It wasn't that I was disgusted with the not-even-close attempt to be unbiased, but I was laughing too hard at this the "evil-wash" that FOX did of CEO and President Steve Trombley.

I didn't even know Photoshop had an evil setting!

The day after the clinic opened I saw 5-6 different news outlets with headlines that used the word "allowed" in it. "Clinic allowed to open." NOTE: The Chicago Tribune changed the headline, but do a news search and you'll see it. That's not even counting the many many headlines that said "abortion clinic" instead of referring to the clinic as a women's health clinic.

I'm happier to report that during our press conference a week ago most of the local reporters asked questions that were clearly unbiased. The terminology used, the angles they went for, showed that they understand the issues at hand and wanted to report the facts.

Not only am I a reproductive justice activist, but I also keep an eye on media reform issues.

The reporting on the opening of the clinic is a prime example of how unbalanced media has become. Yes, we will do abortions at this clinic, but 90% of the services done will be STI/STD testing/treatment, birth control education/dispensing, and overall well-woman care (annual pap smears, breast exams, etc.).

For many women who use Planned Parenthood clinics, the doctor/nurse/nurse practitioner/midwife may be the ONLY medical professional they see over a course of years.

When the Wal-Mart opened in Chicago after a much longer political fight, the headlines did not say "Wal-Mart Allowed to Open" rather headlines pointed out the long lines for jobs and inexpensive items people wanted. Where is the headline "Hundreds flood clinic lines"? Because that is what happened. Our phone lines have been off the hook. But you'd never know that if you read the mainstream media.

My favorite photo

I love that got this shot. Right here is when CEO and President Steve Trombley said:

"But we know that the services we provide at this center will do more in one day to prevent abortions than our opponents will do in a lifetime of protesting."

That is the gosh darn truth.

Statement by Steve Trombley on the opening of the Aurora clinic

My friends, we stand before you this morning in front of Planned Parenthood’s new health center that is now open to serve the women and families of this community.

Make no mistake – it took a lot for this to happen.

But it was worth it.

Some say this fight is just about abortion. But for Planned Parenthood this fight was about providing a broad range of much-needed health care services to the people in this community.

This fight was about providing life-saving services as pap tests to screen for cervical cancer.

This fight was about providing exams to detect breast cancer and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

This fight was about providing services some take for granted but that many don’t have access to because they are either not available or unaffordable.

And yes, this fight was about providing access to abortion services but we know that the preventative services offered by Planned Parenthood do more to prevent the need for abortion than our opponents will do in a lifetime of protesting.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been instrumental in making sure this facility opened.

I want to thank our board of directors for having the courage to take this project on.

I want to thank our architects and contractors for working with us to build this facility.

I want to thank our staff for their dedication, their courage and their flexibility during this difficult month.

And, most importantly, I want to thank the hundreds of supporters from Aurora and the surrounding community that have welcomed us, fought with us and now are a part of this health center and its mission.

Nearly 850 communities across America have welcomed Planned Parenthood because they know we give women an accessible place to go for quality, affordable health care. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 women in America have visited Planned Parenthood. We have been serving the Chicago area for more than 60 years, and we are now thrilled to call Aurora our new home.

Press Conference

I drove into Aurora for the opening of the clinic and it was amazing. After coming over a bridge I saw a HOARD of anti's holding their signs, keeping their kids chanting, and the best thing? They were all on the other side of the street. The clinic is located on a private drive thus when a client drives in they don't ever have to see the protesters, even if the anti's hold a vigil for the next 40 years. Sweet, eh?

I walked up and snapped some photos (they will be up on the Flickr site soon) and was stunned by the number of anti's. I was more moved by the number of locals who showed up, some with kids in tow, to express their support. Even after the short press conference was over, supporters were still coming in as one woman said, "Just to show my support. Thanks!"

CEO & President, Steve Trombley spoke for about 15 minutes and took some questions. His statement will be up soon is now up, but here are some the questions he was asked (note these are my notes, not a transcript):

• What now? How do you provide healthcare with 100 protesters outside?
  Planned Parenthood has a long history with dealing with protesters. We have a private drive that will ensure that clients do not have to see or deal with them. You can drive into the shopping center as if going to Dominick's and turn into the drive.
• Do you fear for your safety or the safety of your staff due to the long history of violence associated with the anti-abortion movement?
  We take everyone's safety seriously. We have heard our opponents talk about legal civil disobedience and that's ok. But no, we have not received any personal threats.
• Why Aurora?
  Aurora is a fast growing community, the 2nd fastest growing city in Illinois. The availability of healthcare has not kept pace. There is a desperate need for healthcare in this area and we are here to provide that. Every day that we have been here, women from the area are calling for appointments. They know we are here and they want access to healthcare.

I didn't get a full tour of the facility, but as I've said before, I've been inside the Near North clinic. Both the former location and the current location. This facility kicks ass. It was built with the utmost of privacy in mind. The recovery rooms are private. This along with great security will allow for a woman's loved one to meet her in recovery after an abortion.

Bottomline, this is exactly the type of clinic that all those TRAP laws demand.

It's awesome being in this clinic. I haven't felt this moved about feminism and reproductive justice since the March for Women's Lives.

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.