Just Don't Look!...?

Maybe it's because I'm on my period (TMI alert, etc. etc. - honestly if you read this blog at all you know a lot more than that about my vagina), but when I read this article about the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform posting a huge exploding fetus banner across an overpass in Hamilton I got so angry I didn't know what to do with myself.

Generally, at this point in my journey as an activist I don't get super angry about this stuff - more of a mild, disappointed contempt. I'm not as young as I was (although I would like to think I remain just as idealistic). But yeah, I don't know, these CCBR people really get my dander up.

I almost came on here and wrote an angry screed (don't you love the word screed?) about it but then I got myself into a thought tangle about how much energy one should really spend getting worked up - especially publicly - about these idiots. It's that eternal debate about giving the anti-choicers attention and exposing their bullshit as harmful and terrible, versus not lending them legitimacy by paying attention. I've never really taken a conclusive side and have, in fact, gone back and forth about it more than any other thing in my activist worldview. Starting this blog was, arguably, a huge exercise in giving the antis attention, and they did delight in it, but at the same time I think it has been an immensely positive thing in a country where apparently NO ONE knows what's happening with abortion and sexual health access in New Brunswick. I thought at the time, and I still believe, that giving attention to the situation was worth giving publicity to the protesters.

But not every situation is the same. The CCBR is slick in their own way - they are very different than the ragtag group of elderly weirdos that protest at the Fredericton Morgentaler Clinic. The CCBR thrives on publicity - any publicity - and they are not at all interested in being nice. They are willing to alienate their own potential supporters - people who openly identify as pro-life, anti-abortion - in order to get press hits with their big, disgusting stunts. They know exactly what they are doing, and I can't help but feel that even writing anything about them is playing right into their hands.

But shit, man, you can't just put disgusting banners on the overpass. It's actually causing traffic accidents. In the article the police give some bullshit excuse about not taking sides - completely missing the point that it's not the group's position people object to, it's the fact that their banner is distracting people to the point that they are crashing their fucking cars. Come on.

So, you know, fuck you Hamilton cops. And fuck you CCBR, obviously.

On Public Safety

When I worked at the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton, there were anti-abortion protesters every clinic day. The boundaries of our property defined where they were and were not legally allowed to walk with their signs, and for the most part they followed those rules. That meant the surrounding sidewalk was full of them, and it was not a wide, big-city street; it was a standard two-person-wide affair that was blocked very easily by the protesters, especially when they had large signs. It wasn't a super interesting street either, so they drew the eye of drivers going by, who would sometimes even pull over to engage with them.

There was the guy who stopped his big silver SUV almost every week for a time, to argue with the protesters about the Supreme Court. There was one memorable woman who leaned on the horn starting a good block away from the clinic and continued blaring it for a block afterwards, using her free hand to flip off the protesters. One pickup truck carrying a patient and her partner was the source of an empty plastic water bottle being lobbed with stunning precision at one unfortunate protester's head.

These situations (and hundreds of others like them; this stuff happened on a weekly basis) were the foundation of our lobbying the government for a bubble zone around the clinic; besides the safety of our patients and staff, it was (is) an issue of public safety. When cars are slowing down without warning, when people walking by are getting into heated arguments, when customers of businesses nearby feel threatened, then it is an issue of public safety. I know many anti-abortion protesters lean heavily on a "free speech" argument when talk turns to turfing them from public sidewalks, and I sympathize because I lean absolutist in the free speech debate. But I also feel that personal safety is paramount, and public safety should be everyone's goal.

So when I read this article in NOW Magazine about the anti-choice activists who are targeting Toronto high schools, I have to agree with the teacher quoted in the article who points out that while the protesters (who occupy the sidewalks just outside of school property) have a right to be there and a right to freedom of speech, high school students don't have a choice about whether or not they have to go to school, so they should have an expectation of safety. And even if the protesters aren't threatening their physical safety, I would argue (as the teacher, Michael Erickson, does) that the expectation of safety should extend to not having to be exposed to triggering images or situations. What does it do to the students who have experienced abortion or miscarriage to see those signs, or to have those people approach them to tell them the "truth" about abortion? It isn't fair that high school students are not free to avoid those messages.

I recommend you read the piece, because it is very good but also terrifying.

"An Insulting and Useless Gesture"

Go right now and read this great piece on clinic protesters in Canada. It sums up the situation in Fredericton to a T (although it is based on a different clinic).

The clinic I work in now has an injunction, so we don't get protesters, but I think the author is right to suggest that municipal legislation (like they have in BC) would better serve the clinic staff and patients. People who work in abortion care exist in a small bubble - we know each other and fear for each other, and knowing that people at other clinics in the city and across the country are safe from anti-choice violence would make me feel a lot more at ease. We need to work as a team to provide safe and accessible abortion services to women in this country, and universal protection is necessary.

Honestly at this point I can't figure out why people still do sidewalk counselling; I have never ever seen it work, not even once in the three years I worked at the Fredericton clinic. People coming in have either already made up their minds to have the abortion, or they stop and talk to the protesters because they've made up their mind not to have it and they're looking for a way out. The ones that decide not to have an abortion - either while they're in the clinic or out on the sidewalk - were never going to have one anyway, whether the protesters were there or not. You start to get a feeling for who is going to go through with it; I can usually tell now just talking to them on the phone. I wish they would stay for long enough to talk to the clinic's counsellor, just to work through whatever issues they might be dealing with, or to get set up with some information and resources on adoption and/or parenting, but it's ok: you can't make people's choices for them. That's part of the whole "trust women" thing that the pro-life movement just does not seem to be able to grasp.

Because it is the Season for Giving

I haven't been fair. I was absent for too long, and then had a burst of creativity, probably making you all think I would be posting regularly from now on - and then I went silent again. Sorry readers! To make up for it, I am working on what will probably turn out to be a pretty long, reflective post, which will be your reward (or punishment, depending on your politics) for your patience.

For now, two things:

Have you written to your MP yet about Bill C-510, the "coerced abortion" bill? If not, there's still time! And if you have - don't worry, you can write again. ARCC has an updated sample letter opposing the bill; please take a few minutes out of your day to write.

Here's something to brighten your day (assuming your day is brightened by feminists yelling at stupid people!): a volunteer escort at my old clinic in Fredericton (and one of my illustrious co-bloggers on Abortion Gang), Not Guilty, ended her tenure as a volunteer today. She decided to go out with a bang and after removing her vest denoting her as a representative of the clinic, she gave a piece of her mind to two of our worst protesters, Holy Ghost and Pink Hat. Let's watch!

Yes.

"A bon voyage, not a goodbye"

My beloved readers, yesterday was my last clinic day at the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton. Tears. For real.

It was a pretty good clinic. Pink Hat was out with her sad little one-limbed Jesus (why won't he heal himself?). I caught a glimpse of Crazy Legs, and the Holy Ghost was very vocal. And guess who else was there, for the first time (that I know of)? Father What-a-Waste, from the March for Life! You guys, what is he doing? He is so handsome and sweet. He told SL that if any of the other protesters started yelling or being aggressive, he was going to be very upset and disappointed. SL said "Wait."

I hope he doesn't come back, but on the other hand, his adorable naivete might add much needed amusement to the volunteers' mornings.

One of our patients today was a character - she was wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm a Virgin (but this is an old shirt)" and she was super sassy. I liked her a lot. When she came out to the waiting room after her procedure, she loudly assured everyone that it didn't hurt, and that the sedatives were AWESOME. It was hard to tell if she was still a bit loopy from the drugs, or if she is just always like that. Either way: awesome.

That is all the cool stuff I can remember.

It was hard to say goodbye to my lovely co-workers, especially our amazing doctor. She is such a warm and good-hearted person, and she has been a really strong supporter in my life for the last three years. What an excellent lady.

So that's it: the last regular dispatch from the clinic. I will continue blogging, probably on Canadian abortion issues until I figure out where I want to go next with this. Ideas are always welcome. The weekly reader will be a little late this week, because I don't know when we will get internet set up in our new apartment. If you think of it on Friday, send some good thoughts our way for the 16 hour drive with two cats. We will need it!

Thank you thank you thank you. Always follow your heart.

One Foot Out the Door

I'm not going to apologize again for blogging so late in the week, because I am in the middle of trying to move to Ontario and quite honestly it is a lot of work. Not the packing and physical moving (we're not quite there yet), but just the making sure I see all my friends enough before we go. I am an introvert so I have to be careful about the amount of energy I expend by spending time with people, but I have so little time! It is hard.

Anyway, clinic on Tuesday was ok. The protesters were getting a bit aggressive at times, and Crazy Legs was out and causing lots of trouble, accusing people of shoving her, etc. Definitely being a pain in the ass.

Inside the clinic, I was training my replacement, which was super fun because she is an EXCELLENT lady. We get along very very well and could just talk for ages. I love when I click with people so easily - it doesn't happen to me a lot. I have quite a few good friends but it usually takes me a while to get to that place with them. Anyway I have a lot of confidence in this person. She is going to be great.

Yesterday we had our annual summer BBQ for the volunteers, which was great fun as always. They really are a wonderful group of people and I'm going to miss them a great deal. I have met some excellent people through being the volunteer co-ordinator. They are all good people who do good work.

This Tuesday is my last clinic day, and then Wednesday is my last day of work. Tears! This has been my best job ever, and I will be very sad to leave it. I'm still trying to decide in what direction I want to take the blog, but I think it will largely depend on what I end up doing in Toronto.

Here are some things I read this week:

Anti-abortion group gets funding, settles lawsuit with UVic.

Graphic abortion images spark outrage.

Conversations

Clinic yesterday was ok. It has been super muggy here in the last couple of days, but yesterday morning the rain came to cool us off. Which was a bit unfortunate for the volunteers, who got rained on. Luckily we have lots of umbrellas!

There were not a lot of protesters out this week - perhaps they weren't keen on marching around in the sticky heat. A lot of them are older people, so I imagine weather like this can be pretty uncomfortable for them. However, I did see some of the old favourites including Crazy Legs and Monochrome.

It was inside the clinic where my attention was focused this week. Not that it was particularly crazy or anything. I had one patient change her mind and just get up and leave. Generally when people decide not to go ahead, they come up to the front desk and let me know they are going. But this lady just put her little number card down on my desk and left without a word. She hadn't even had her ultrasound yet. I hope everything works out for her - her partner (who was with her) seemed supportive so that is good.

I like being in the clinic near the end of the appointments, when there are only three or four women left who haven't had their abortions yet, and there are no patients left in the waiting room, only partners. Things tend to get a bit more chill and sometimes the partners (or parents, or friends) of the patients get to talking to each other, which is what happened this week. There were three people, two of them male partners and one female friend, and they all started talking to each other about how hungry they were, which was both amusing and frustrating (I was hungry too!). But then it turned out they were all in similar lines of work, so they were chatting away about that. It just warms my heart when perfect strangers can just talk so easily to each other. And I think it puts them in a better, less anxious mood, allowing them to be more supportive of the woman they came with when she comes out of the recovery room.

Also, I only have three clinic days left until I move away! Sad face!

Comings and Goings

Clinic was great this week because I had THREE new volunteers. Three! And they are all awesome and enthusiastic and I just love them. I've been worried in the last couple weeks about leaving this job behind, and I want to make sure whoever replaces me has a big pool of volunteers to work with, so this was definitely reassuring.

It wasn't a gong show like last week, so that was good. Monochrome has been out a lot lately, all dressed in red as usual. And Crazy Legs has been more active. This week a patient parked in the CPC parking lot by accident, so one of the escorts (KM) walked over to escort her to the clinic. As soon as she got there Crazy Legs told her she wasn't allowed to be on the property, and then threatened to sue her. This was in between chasing patients all over the place. She is a piece of work, that woman. Professional counsellor, at that.

Our doctor was away this week, so we had our back-up doc who flies in from Halifax. We were already starting later than usual, because we had to wait for her flight to arrive and for JB to pick her up at the airport. But then the flight was delayed until 11:00am, which was when our last appointment was arriving. Which means we had a waiting room full of patients. Luckily our back-up doc is quick, on top of being a generally awesome person. So we were only there a couple hours later than usual, and she caught her flight back in time. Sometimes you have to put up with a crowded waiting room.

I can't believe I only have five clinic days left here! I am so, so excited to be leaving Fredericton but I'm also a little sad to be leaving the clinic, which is by far the best job I've ever had. I work with a really lovely staff and amazing volunteers.

I guess this blog was pretty short, but hey, I can't help it if the protesters are (mostly) behaving themselves. I guess things will pick up a little if Crazy Legs really does decide to sue us. I'll keep you posted.

Sneak Attack

Clinic was pretty nuts this week. I found out the day before that there would be a reporter from the Globe and Mail coming to check things out - she is writing a piece on abortion access in the Maritimes (I will let you know when it is printed - should be pretty soon). So she came to observe the protesters and escorts, to interview some of them and the clinic staff (me included), and to see if any of the patients would talk to her. A couple of them did, which is awesome. I know it is probably really hard for people to open up about their abortion, especially on the day it is happening, so the reporter was lucky that some women felt comfortable enough to do so.

What I did not know was that the reporter had apparently called NB Right to Life (ie the protesters) the day before to check if they would be out protesting. So of course they rounded up the troops and we had a LOT of protesters out! Which is good from the perspective of the story, in that people will get to see how ahful it can be out there, but bad because the women coming in that day had to deal with the extra people, and it's more work for our escorts.

The result was that we saw some people we haven't seen out protesting in a while, like Peter Ryan, and the Mad Chatter with her "I Regret My Abortion" sign. She is a truly mean-spirited and hateful person, you guys. Just awful. And we had some new protesters as well who I am sure we will never see again. A couple young women, which NEVER HAPPENS. Also a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "Abortion kills children" or some such nonsense. Apparently he came from Moncton. It does lighten my heart a little that even when they put the call out, they can't even get enough people from Fredericton and they have to also bring people in from Moncton and Saint John. And the average age is still I would guess around 55.

They were stepping up the shenanigans, too. There were the usual comments to the escorts (apparently they "only care about women having abortions"), but this week there were also BABIES. Yes, real babies, in strollers, being pused back and forth on the sidewalk outside the clinic. It was, in the words of our counsellor, truly tacky. What really frustrates me about "arguments" like that (if you can count flaunting your baby as an argument) is it totally discounts class and health and financial issues that often go into the choice to terminate a pregnancy. It's all very well to flaunt your healthy white baby around and implicitly promise women that this is what they are giving up, but just because you are privileged enough to be able to keep your baby and support her and feed her and not be judged for your family situation, class, addiction, financial situation, sexual orientation, race, health, and on and on, doesn't mean the rest of us have that luxury.

Anyway, the protesters are jerks. I hope that's the conclusion the reporter reaches too. Regardless, my volunteers are awesome and deserve kudos for putting up with all that bullshit.

Short and Sweet

Hello lovely readers. A lot of stuff is happening in my life right now (mostly good stuff!), which makes me disinclined to blog at length about abortion, so this will likely be brief.

Tuesday's clinic was not too bad. Crazy Legs was out and doing a bit more actual harrassment than she usually does, to the delight of all (haha). The protesters have gone back to their tactic of wandering way down the street, almost to the intersection of Brunswick and Carleton, with their signs. I'm not sure what they are trying to accomplish, except maybe intercepting patients before the escorts have a chance to greet them. It's not a very effective strategy as most patients come in cars, and have their drivers drop them off behind the clinic.

I saw Pink Hat at a wedding I was attending on Saturday. It was kind of weird. Mostly because she wasn't dressed up at all - she was wearing the exact same clothes she normally wears (including the hat!). She was also sitting on her own near the back and she wasn't at the reception, so I wonder if she was even invited? Maybe she was just going to church and wandered in. I hope she wasn't offended that I did a Bible reading.

So that's it. You should check out this interview I did for Feminists for Choice.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

It was a gloomy day on Tuesday, rainy and kind of cold. So the protesters didn't show up very early, and it was clear that the weather (or something else maybe, I don't know their lives) had dampened their spirits. Poor Pink Hat's hair is not suited to the wet weather, and it was a surprise to see her not only sans her trademark hat, but with a frizzy white 'fro.

Not much to report on as the clinic went smoothly and the volunteers braved the elements. We had a staff meeting after the clinic and several of the nurses expressed gratitude for the presence of the escorts. One of our nurses said she thinks their job is harder than hers. I think in some ways maybe that's true. Anyway, volunteers: know your work is greatly appreciated and needed! You guys are awesome.

If you live in Fredericton and are around the clinic sometimes you might have noticed the new signs in our windows. We used to have stop sign shaped ones that said "stop blame", "stop shame" and "stop intimidation". We recently took those down and put new ones up that are a bit softer and create a more welcoming atmosphere. They have a flower motif and say "shame-free zone", "blame-free zone" and "intimidation-free zone". I really like them because not only do they address what the protesters do, but they also provide a visual reminder of the values we (the clinic staff) hold in our work. It has been an uphill battle for me to learn to trust women to make decisions about their bodies and not to judge their reasoning, but it is something that is so important in the work that I do. It is as easy now as putting myself in someone else's shoes: I make mistakes (sometimes really stupid ones). But I would be afraid to call to make an appointment because I would think someone would judge me. But we all fuck up, and we all deserve love and understanding and a second chance. I keep that in mind with every patient who comes in.

We also have a stand-up sign that goes outside, which helps to identify us and also to distinguish us from the right to life people next door. Hopefully it will help in reducing the number of people who accidentally go next door by mistake, or who drive or walk right by us. Let me know if you have feedback on the signs - we would love to know what people think!

Sunshine

I've been reluctant to blog this week because there wasn't a lot to say. Lady in Red was walking around with Pink Hat, which didn't clash too horribly as Pink Hat's had is really more red than pink.

I feel like my reports on the protesters are getting a bit monotonous - they really aren't mixing it up very much, and apart from Pink Hat's occasional rants, nothing notable happens from week to week. Not that this is a bad thing, of course! I just hope that y'all aren't bored of my terribly similar blog posts.

One cool thing is the nursing students we've had at the clinic lately. It's great to see people who are just getting into medicine showing some enthusiasm for reproductive health care. Along the same vein (ha), one of our escorts just got accepted into nursing! TO THE FUTURE!

Perhaps the protesters are getting a little stir crazy with this lovely spring weather - who wants to be harrassing women when there's picnics to be had and bike rides to be taken? I would venture to say the reason I'm doing such a horrific job of writing this week is that my heart really isn't in it...everything looks better OUTside my window...

Haters Gonna Hate

Did you think I was not going to blog this week? Haha, I tricked you! The March for Life was yesterday and I wanted to wait until it was over so I could report back. Especially since this week's clinic was surprisingly tame, protester-wise; just Pink Hat's usual nonsense, telling escorts they can't stand still on the sidewalk, and accusing them of harrassing/intimidating her.

I took a stroll down to the Legislature yesterday to take in the March for Life festivities with SL. We were careful to stand off to the side, but we got noticed, regardless. First the Mad Chatter came over to us to make sure we felt "welcome", and to tell SL that she had a Christmas gift for her that she hadn't had a chance to give her. It was a book, she said, and it would take SL "a lot of courage" to read it. I can't wait to see what it is. SL and I both hope it's The Shack.

We managed to take in the event in relative peace for a little while, but someone must have let the media know who we are, because all of sudden three of them swooped over to us with their cameras and notepads. I figured SL wouldn't want to call attention to us, but she happily gave them a quick interview pointing out that we totally support the antis having their rallies and protests at the Leg - we just don't like it when they harrass women in front of our clinic. I forgot to watch the news so I don't know if they used it (it was Rogers and CTV).

So we're standing there, taking in some super informative speeches by middle-aged men about what women should do, when this priest wanders over. He wanted to talk to us about our point of view because he likes to see the other side of issues. Which was fine. He was a very sweet fellow, actually, a priest of the "Father What-a-waste" variety, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately we were also joined by Mary Beth, a woman who has protested at the clinic in the past. She wanted to let us know that it is not the protesters' intent to intimidate or harrass anyone. I explained to her that it doesn't matter what her intent was, women feel intimidated and that was the point. She said "There are some things more important than feelings" and flounced out of the conversation. *sigh*

I was surprised that at the rally they didn't talk at all about the G8 maternal health stuff. They were mainly focused on the few abortions being performed in hospitals (and covered by Medicare) in New Brunswick. It was a smaller crowd than last year, and there was a noticeable age gap - I didn't see many people between the ages of 12 and 60.

Afterwards they marched to the parking lot of the Mother and Child Welcome Centre next door, and I watched from our parking lot as they offered up many prayers for me and the rest of the staff, so that we would turn from our wicked ways. One older fellow kept turning to pointedly take pictures of me, and also seemed fascinated that I was texting (although I wasn't, I was Tweeting). iPhone: tool of the devil?

So, a fairly lackluster March for Life this year, and barely any excitement leading up to it. I'm sure it was a different story in Ottawa and other places where they get bigger crowds.

We are drawing near the first anniversary of Dr. Tiller's murder. If the people next door dare to acknowledge it in any way I am going to be pretty fucking mad. Just sayin'.

In Which I Decline to STFU

Oh goodness friends, get your reading faces on for Sunday, because it's only Wednesday and I already have ELEVENTY BILLION links for the weekly reader. Nancy Ruth, you make my life difficult.

So, yesterday's clinic was a bit busy inside; whenever we skip a week (as we did last week) we have a lot of patients for the next one. At first I thought it was going to be pretty bad: a big clinic plus lots of protesters. But thankfully there were not a lot of protesters; perhaps they are gearing up for Mother's Day.

Pink Hat was particularly aggressive, of course. She has been walking along the side of the clinic screaming out stuff like "abortion kills more women every year than any other cause", which, as volunteer KM points out, is just patently ridiculous for several reasons (not least of all that it is absolutely false). She is also still waving her sad little one-armed Jesus all around.

There was a new guy out there today (at least, I've never seen him before). He wasn't super interesting though; just holding one of the standard signs.

Speaking of signs, we got a sign! The CPC next door (where the protesters hang out) has one of those standing up double-sided signs (like restaurants have out front, with the specials) that proclaims their expertise in all options following a pregnancy, and has the details of their business and so on. So we just got a lovely new sign that lets people know we exist, who we are, and that we are open. Hopefully this will cut down in the number of people who go next door by mistake, thinking it is the clinic.

I interviewed a new volunteer today! Hooray!

I am seriously exhausted with all the reading and writing I've been doing in the last two days, so I'm going to leave it there. Keep your eyes peeled for a post I did for Abortion Gang that should be up soon.

Reading the Litter-gy

Yesterday's clinic was ridiculous - there were like a thousand protesters (ok maybe more like twelve to fifteen), for no reason I can think of. Maybe because it's getting close to Mother's Day? I know that in past years they've become a bit nuttier when May draws near, so perhaps that's it.

Regardless, they were quite aggressive. Kudos to the volunteers yesterday for putting up with their garbage.

Pink Hat is still wielding her sad, broken little Jesus. She also often holds a prayer book to read while she walks and does her rosary (yes, she holds a Jesus, a prayer book and a rosary. That's why she can't have a sign). This week, her prayer book - which is almost as shabby as her Jesus - started to fall apart, and the pages blew into our parking lot. One of our escorts, LS, told her that she was littering, but Pink Hat was too busy yelling at patients to pay her any attention. So LS scooped up the pages and jammed them into her empty coffee cup, which she then brought into the clinic to throw out.

Well. The protesters immediately got together outside in a prayer huddle for like twenty minutes, and Peter Ryan came over, and they started having intense discussions that, sadly, led to no action on their part. They did become a little more aggressive towards the volunteers, of course.

Later in the morning, just after the last patient arrived and I went out to call the volunteers in, a woman pulled her car over on the side of Brunswick Street, got out, and stormed over to yell at the protesters. "I just want you to know, I really disagree with what you're doing!" They argued back and forth for a while. I know it's a public safety risk but I like when people do that; it gives me hope that there are people out there who are as angry about the protesters as we are. The escorts mentioned that the woman had a Saint Thomas University parking pass; maybe a prof at STU? Anyway, thanks Mystery Lady! You brightened our morning.

Clinic went well on the inside. A couple difficult cases, but that's the norm. One too early, one too late, some no shows - a pretty "average" clinic day, all told. No one was particularly upset or put off by the protesters, which is excellent.

Before I forget, I want to mention that Our Bodies, Ourselves is doing their annual Women's Health Heroes awards again this year. Check it out, nominate someone or just have a look at (and vote for) the nominees so far: there are some pretty cool people in the world.

Reflections on the Upcoming Summer

Yesterday was windy but sunny, a sure sign that spring is upon us. The protesters were out a little later than us. Pink Hat's little Jesus figurine, which lost a couple limbs earlier this year, has now lost his cross as well. He's just a little one-armed dude covered in blood. But Pink Hat still carries him aloft proudly. I wonder if we should all kick in to buy her a new figurine? A couple of the volunteers suggested Batman.

Nothing special on the harrassment front. Pink Hat was giving the escorts her usual advice about not blocking the sidewalk, and chastising them for not giving patients all the options. I'm not sure if they (the protesters) even realize that our escorts are solely responsible for helping patients enter the building safely; they have no part in giving (or not giving) them information or advice. I guess it's hard for the protesters to understand because they don't seem to believe in keeping their jobs separate; thus their "counsellor" (Crazy Legs) is often out protesting with the rest of them, as she was this week.

I have had to explain to a couple women who have gone to the CPC and then made an appointment with us that they might see the woman who "counselled" them out there protesting as they came for their abortion. I think that's the moment when most women who have gone next door realize what a load of bullshit they've been fed by those people. I'm not saying that a counsellor shouldn't be a protester; more that a counsellor whose job it is to help women make a decision about their pregnancy shouldn't then be outside the abortion clinic, harrassing those same women and trying to entice them next door. If Crazy Legs was actually a counsellor who was certified by a recognized group, she would definitely be facing some kind of ethics review.

At this time of year, students are finishing up and some are leaving for the summer (or forever). Among our escorts who are students, even those who are coming back in the fall will be coming back to a different volunteer coordinator, since I am leaving in August. So this week I said the first of my goodbyes, to AB, who is graduating this year so will likely not be back again (although you never know!). I feel that in the next couple weeks I will be saying a lot more goodbyes.

I am still working on ideas on how to keep this blog going when I leave. I do want to keep it as my blog, so I won't be handing it over to the volunteers or the new volunteer coordinator (although if any of them started to blog, specifically about their experiences as escorts, I would enthusiastically link to them!). I hope to get updates from the Fredericton clinic that I can post from time to time, but the direction of the blog as a whole will probably depend on what I actually end up doing in Toronto.

My partner and I got our bikes out a couple days ago. So excited for my last summer in Fredericton!

The Troubles of Pink Hat

Yesterday's clinic was pretty normal. There were only a few protesters out, but they were as aggressive as usual (I'm really just talking about Pink Hat; she is the trouble maker). It was drizzly and miserable, but at least the weather is warming up a little bit.

There is a group of preschoolers that walks by some mornings. Yesterday they went by, all adorable and holding on to their field trip rope, and Pink Hat took it upon herself to inform the escorts that the number of little kids going by was the same number of abortions we did that day. How convenient for her rhetorical needs!

She is still out there with a damaged Jesus. I took this picture out the window so there's a weird reflection, but here she is:



We were talking about maybe buying her a prosthetic limb or something for Jesus. I wonder what happened to him.

So as some of you may be aware, I'm moving away in August. I will no longer be working at the clinic, obvs. So I'm just kind of wondering what will happen in terms of my blog. I want to keep writing it, but I won't have the weekly updates on our neighbours to chronicle. The only alternative I can think of right now is to keep it as a blog about abortion in a more general sense, but the thing is there are already a lot of better blogs on the subject (including a couple that I already contribute to). So, we have a few months - if you have some awesome suggestions, I want to hear them!

The Predictable, and Otherwise

So this week, even though it was crappy rainy cold weather, the protesters were out bright and early with their signs. WHAT IS THEIR GAME??

Not much to report though. One of our volunteers almost tried to escort an 80-year-old woman into the clinic, to everyone's amusement (including, thankfully, the woman and her husband).

We had a couple no-shows. Note to people with appointments at our clinic (or similar): if you have decided not to come, no worries, but PLEASE CALL so we can give your appointment to someone else! There are usually women who would love to come a week earlier, and we could give them those time slots if we knew they were available.

So, you may have noticed that my post is up at Abortion Gang. I am very, very excited about Abortion Gang, you guys. Since I joined Twitter I have been noticing a very awesome international (but mostly North American) community of abortion providers, volunteers and activists and it excites me to no end that we are so connected. I mean, aside from being very passionate and good at their jobs, the people I'm meeting are also just genuinely nice. Making friends, woot woot! That is no small thing in this world.

And on another note, oh hey, remember that time Stephen Harper was all like, ladies of the world, I want to help you out! Well, he was lying. Or maybe he was telling the truth, but doesn't realize that contraception SURE AS HELL impacts maternal health, and the rest of the government is also too stupid to know this. And by "rest of the government", I mean the rest of the Conservatives and a bunch of Liberals, too. Sometimes I really despair of the whole process. Not that I thought any good could possibly come of this (it seemed quite clear from the start that Harper was only trying to distract from budget cuts to anything useful to Canadian women), but really: do these people even know any women? Do they know the basics of reproduction, pregnancy, childrearing?

If I had a bunch of money, I would send a copy of Michelle Goldberg's 'The Means of Reproduction' to every motherfucker who voted against this initiative. For real.

Good Day Sunshine

So at this week's clinic, the protesters did not show up until about an hour and a half into things. What are they playing at? I have learned through this YouTube clip that Pink Hat has to take her kid to school in the morning, so that's why she is late. But what excuse do the rest of them have? It has been beautiful outside, weather-wise. It makes me wonder if perhaps they are catching on to the fact that they are not saving any babies.

In terms of the above linked clip, I like Pink Hat's assertion that they are there because people don't know that there are options besides abortion. Which is kind of funny for the obvious reason that if you don't have an abortion, there is another pretty glaring option that happens; you don't even have to know about it (hint: birth). But really I found it interesting because she's basically saying that they are out there to promote their business (the Women's Care Centre next door), to let people know they have a counsellor (I think she even says certified counsellor*, and if she's talking about Crazy Legs, I would love to see that certificate, thanks). So how many other businesses can you think of that use PROTESTS to advertise? What kind of madness is this? Is having a sign and an ad in the phonebook the equivalent, to them, of parading in front of our clinic with graphic signs and Jesus on the cross?

Advertising fail.

A couple of the volunteers were telling me that last week, they saw an elderly couple leaving the hearing aid store across the lane. The woman urged her husband to stop the car next to them, and the escorts were a bit worried because sometimes they get yelled at by anti-choice members of the public. But the woman just wanted to tell them they were doing a great job, and give them a thumbs up. Yay for progressive old people!

I have linked a couple more blogs over the last couple weeks, in the "Pedgehog Reads" section of my sidebar. You should check them out. I will be contributing to one of them, Abortion Gang, in the next couple days. And I promise I will eventually be on I am Dr Tiller, as soon as I write it. Making myself write in progressively better weather is the hardest.

If you are in Fredericton, you should check out the 4th annual RAWA Benefit Variety Show (and silent auction!) this Saturday (March 20) at 7pm in the SUB Ballroom (UNB campus). Tickets are $10 or $7 for students, and are on sale at Westminster Books (on King Street) and at the SUB. There will be gumbooting!

*Edit: My bad, she says professional counsellor. And that could be anyone.

Taking My Boots Off

I know I've been AWOL. Partly that's because I was kind of transfixed by the gong show that was going on in the comments of my last post, but mostly because of another project I have going on. Some of you may know that I am in a feminist gumbooting troupe. We recently expanded the troupe (we actually doubled in size) and taught the new members how to gumboot, learned new moves, and choreographed an entire routine from the ground up in about six weeks. We had two gigs on Monday for International Women's Day, so in the last couple weeks I have been really preoccupied with that and haven't had a lot of time and energy even for normal things like doing the dishes, let alone blogging.

The gigs went well, but that's a story for another day.

Last week we didn't have a clinic, as it was March break and a lot of the staff was away (myself included - took a little trip with some friends to Halifax to see Wilco). This week the protesters were somewhat subdued. They came out pretty late in the morning and there were only three or four of them out there. Of course the escorts can't really afford to be complacent, especially when one of those protesters is Pink Hat. She wasn't too bad this week, but she was still out there, with her little Jesus on the cross and her scowl.

One of the escorts suggested that some of the protesters were giving up saving babies for Lent, and that's why they went so crazy around Mardi Gras. I kind of like that. The problem with the protesters is that we can only rarely estimate how they are going to behave; I can never give my volunteers a week off on the assumption that the protesters will not be there. Sometimes we'll go for weeks without seeing them and then all of a sudden there will be a swarm of twenty of them, or they will have invited some ridiculous group like Show the Truth or Bound4Life.

Anyway, spring is almost upon us.