After Tiller Screening and Q+A with Directors!

Clinic Escorts, the Doula Project, Rho Epsilon Pi, and the Film Series are excited to announce the free screening of After Tiller on Monday, March 31st at 8pm in Goldsmith Theater.

After the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, there are a limited number of doctors left in the U.S. who provide third-trimester abortions. Directed by Wesleyan alumni Martha Shane and Lana Wilson, After Tiller depicts the stories of these four doctors who are fighting to keep this service available and the incredible risk and struggle they confront on a daily basis. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Martha and Lana.

Watch the trailer here: http://aftertillermovie.com/

When: Monday, March 31st at 8pm
Where: Goldsmith Theater
Cost: FREE

Upcoming Training Sessions

Welcome back to wintery Wes! We will be having two training sessions: Thursday Jan 30th at 7 pm and Friday February 7th at noon both in 41 Wyllys Room 110. Tell your friends! These are just for people who have questions, concerns, or have never escorted before! Also if you want to be more involved in planning future events (hint movie screening coming up!) stop by.

Science of Abortion

As the year gets going, check out this article from the Journal of Public Interest about the science behind abortion and the challenges of researching abortion.

http://www.propublica.org/article/amid-abortion-debate-the-pursuit-of-science

Abortion Clinic Terrorism

Reposted from the Feminist Majority Foundation:

Terror in Charlotte

The posters have the word “WANTED” in large black letters at the top and contain the following language: “We would like to introduce you to Drs. X and Y [names withheld here]. Their specialties are Obstetrics, Gynecology and Murder. Not only do these two men assist women and deliver babies, but they also harm women and kill babies…. You may contact them at their office or the clinic in which they perform the abortions.”

Read full article by Carol Joffe, Ms. magazine Washington Correspondent

Violence Escalating at Abortion Clinics

A post-election call by anti-abortion extremists to “return to the streets” has resulted in an escalation of activity, threats, and violence around several women’s health clinics nationwide. Threats have again intensified since the May 31, 2009 murder of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas.

The Feminist Majority Foundation is working with local and federal law enforcement to protect threatened clinics. However, in some local jurisdictions law enforcement has been allowing varying levels of harassment. There must be nationwide zero tolerance of violence and harassment aimed at vilifying doctors, health care workers, and denying women’s fundamental right to reproductive health.

Current Threats

Some doctors and clinic administrators are being taunted with chants of “you’re next.” Right now, clinics in the following states are reporting harassment and threats:

Alabama California Colorado Iowa Kansas

Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska

North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Wisconsin

Operation Rescue's New Target

With the closure of Women’s Health Care Services Clinic in Wichita, Kansas, following Dr. Tiller’s murder, Operation Rescue, based in Wichita, has announced a new target: Dr. LeRoy Carhart of Bellevue, Nebraska. Dr. Carhart regularly traveled to Wichita each month to work with Dr. Tiller and has announced he intends to continue providing late abortion services and may open a clinic in Kansas.

Troy Newman of Operation Rescue along with Larry Donlan of Rescue the Heartland and Nebraskans United for Life announced a new multi-group campaign called “Keep it Closed.” The campaign aims to make sure Dr. Carhart does not open a late abortion clinic in Wichita, any other place in Kansas, or nearby Nebraska. And Newman hoped “through the use of peaceful, legal means” that Dr. Carhart “will soon be out of the abortion business for good.”

Operation Rescue launched its “Keep it Closed” campaign with targeted demonstrations and so-called “street counseling” in Omaha and at Carhart’s Bellevue clinic August 28-29. Also present was Norman Weslin, leader of the Lambs of Christ.

Escalating activities targeting Dr. Carhart and his staff eerily resemble the harassment of Dr. Tiller. Operation Rescue has posted photos of Dr. Carhart on its website and in a meeting with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning submitted “evidence” of alleged “illegal” activity at Dr. Carhart’s clinic which Bruning referred to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Jon Bruning has previously spoken against Dr. Carhart and said “I hate it that he’s in America.”

As threats against doctors and clinics continue in some 14 states, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a Planned Parenthood in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 28 but fell just short of the building, burning the pavement.

Dr. George Tiller: A Man Who Trusted Women

Dr. George Tiller, one of the few late abortion providers in the country, was murdered May 31, 2009, allegedly by anti-abortion extremist Scott Roeder. He was. For years, Dr. Tiller endured countless threats, stalking, and harassment at the hands of anti-abortion extremists. In 1993, he was shot in both arms, surviving an assassination attempt by an Army of God follower, Shelley Shannon. His clinic was bombed and frequently vandalized. In early May, the clinic sustained $10,000 of damage by vandal(s) who purposefully disabled security cameras and sliced the roof prior to a rainstorm.

Scott Roeder was caught both the week and day before Tiller’s murder maliciously gluing shut the locks of a clinic in Kansas City, a tactic taught in the Army of God manual. The clinic director reported the vandalism and identified Roeder, who was captured on security cameras, to both federal and local law enforcement, but nothing was done.

Justifiable Homicide

Shockingly, some anti-abortion extremists are still calling "justifiable homicide" -- the murder of doctors -- a legitimate strategy to close clinics. Anti-abortion extremist Paul Hill, who in 1994 killed Dr. John Britton and a volunteer escort in a Pensacola, Florida was an early proponent of "justifiable homicide." Prior to the murders, for which Hill was ultimately executed by lethal injection, Hill was known to protest continuously outside the clinic, often holding a sign that stated “Execute murderers, abortionists, accessories?”

Even office holders have made statements that support justifiable homicide by anti-abortion extremists. During his 2004 US Senate campaign, Senator Tom Coburn (D-OK), said "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life.”

2008 Clinic Violence Survey

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s 2008 Clinic Violence Survey found that severe violence in 2008 impacted 20% of all abortion providers participating in the survey.

The New Health Care Reform Legislation: Pros and Cons for Reproductive Health

The Guttmacher Institute has a rundown of the health care bill and its implications for reproductive health. Check it out here.

Georgia Senate Passes New Abortion Bill

I'm not sure how I feel about this bill. It claims to only punish those who try to coerce women to have an abortion, which is good. Obviously having the right to choose involves having the right to choose to not have an abortion. But for some reason this bill makes me somewhat nervous. The language feels too vague, and it kind of stinks of paternalism. I'm worried that this would be used to restrict access to reproductive services under the guise of protecting women. A few quotes from the debate to get you thinking:

While it is clear that black women make up more than a majority of the state’s abortions, Pearson said that in 64 percent of abortions in Georgia, “some form of coercion is present.”...

The bill drew intense criticism from pro-choice senators, who questioned the bill’s purpose and legality.

“This bill was created under the false assumption that abortion doctors solicit women of color, particularly, black women,” said Sen. Donzella James of College Park. “This bill calls into question all who make a deeply private and personal medical decision. Every woman, regardless of ethnic background, should have the ability to make personal decisions. Not the people in this room. It is between, she, her family and God.”

An Overview Of Abortion In The United States

From the Guttmacher Institute:

• Nearly half of all pregnancies to American women are unintended; four in 10 of these end in abortion.
  
  
• About half of American women have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and at current rates more than one-third (35%) will have had an abortion by age 45.
  
  
• Overall unintended pregnancy rates have stagnated over the past decade, yet unintended pregnancy increased by 29% among poor women while decreasing 20% among higher-income women.
  
  
• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million abortions in 2000.
  
  
• Nine in 10 abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
  
  
• A broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions:
• 56% of women having abortions are in their 20s;
• 61% have one or more children;
• 67% have never married;
• 57% are economically disadvantaged;
• 88% live in a metropolitan area; and
• 78% report a religious affiliation.

EXPERT STATEMENTS

“Many Americans will welcome the news that there are fewer abortions, particularly among teens, and that a larger proportion of abortions are now happening very early in pregnancy," saysSharon L. Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute. "But at the same time, abortions are becoming more concentrated among women of color and low-income women. This presents a clear challenge to policymakers to redouble their efforts to improve access to subsidized contraceptive services for these women, thereby helping them to prevent the unintended pregnancies behind these abortions from occurring in the first place.”

"For a long time, nearly 90% of abortions in the U.S. have taken place in the first trimester, but in recent years, women having an abortion have been able to do so earlier and earlier in the first trimester. Currently, more than six in 10 abortions occur within the first eight weeks of pregnancy, and almost three in 10 take place at six weeks or earlier,” says Rachel Jones, lead senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute. “Medication abortion, which provides women with an additional option early in pregnancy, clearly reinforces this trend.”

"The United States has one of the highest abortion rates in the developed world, with women from every socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious and age-group obtaining abortions," says Lawrence Finer, associate director for domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute. "We study abortion so we can learn more about how well current efforts to improve contraceptive use and reduce unintended pregnancy are working, the circumstances under which women have difficulty accessing abortion and, ultimately, how to reduce the need for abortion."

“There really is no need to resort to far-flung conspiracy theories. Behind virtually every abortion is an unintended pregnancy. And because women of color are much more likely to experience unintended pregnancies than any other group, they are also more likely to seek and obtain abortions than any other group,” says Susan A. Cohen, director of government affairs at the Guttmacher Institute. “Fundamentally, the question policymakers should be asking is not why women of color have high abortion rates, but rather what can be done to help them have fewer unintended pregnancies and achieve better health outcomes more generally.”

See also: No Conspiracy Theories Needed: Higher Abortion Rates Among Women of Color Reflect Higher Rates of Unintended Pregnancy

U.S. Abortion Rate Continues Long-Term Decline, Falling to Lowest Level Since 1974; More Effort Still Needed to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy

Poorest U.S. Women Increasingly Likely to Face Unintended Pregnancies

Frustration Makes Pro-Lifers More Anti-Abortion Than Ever

(Sorry for the lazy hack job on this, I'll add more later)
"Anti-abortion advocates coined the moniker "pro-life" because they wanted to connect with the majority of Americans who supported abortion restrictions. A new poll shows just how anti-abortion the "pro-life" movement really is.

The new poll, by Gallup, shows that, since the nineties — and the wholesale adoption of political evangelicals into the Republican Party — anti-abortion Republicans have become increasingly opposed to abortion. In a bit of good news, the increasingly crazed rhetoric from those people has seemingly driven more Democrats to the pro-choice position.

Since 1990, however, Republicans polled by Gallup increasingly have grown more conservative about the issue while Democrats have become more liberal.

By 2009, more Republicans — by a 21-point margin — said abortion should be illegal "in all circumstances," and more Democrats - by a 19-point margin — said abortion should be legal "under any circumstances."

In all circumstances these days — if the Stupak Amendment for the health insurance "reform" bill is any guide — means they believe that abortion should also be illegal in the case of rape, incest, life of the fetus or health of the mother. For many anti-abortion advocates, it also means opposing Plan B emergency contraception, IUDs, birth control pills, the patch, the ring, women who fall down the stairs and probably any woman caught thinking bad thoughts about babies."

From Jezebel

Check out a related post at Sociological Images. Click for larger image:

Help Get Racist Anti-Choice Posters Taken Down

Remember that post I wrote earlier about those racist anti-abortion posters? Pissed off about them? Well now there is something you can do about it! SPARK Reproductive Justice Now has a campaign to get the posters taken down. Take action here.

See also: "Womb Lynching" at Jezebel and "To Court Blacks, Foes of Abortion Make Racial Case" at The New York Times

What Exactly Happens in an Abortion?

This is a question that many escorts have, but are afraid to ask. This is an important thing to know, however, so I'll give a quick outline of the two most common proceedures. I suggest following the links to the original Planned Parenthood site to get a more in-depth idea of what happens during these procedures. Also, the Helpful Links section on the right of the blog includes many websites that are great sources to start learning more.

First off, Plan B (a type of Emergency Contraception, or EC) is not a type of abortion. It won't end a pregnancy, but it can help make one less likely after unprotected sex or birth control failure. It also shouldn't be used as regular birth control because it isn't as effective.

The Abortion Pill (Medication Abortion)

• Take medicines to end an early pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$650

The abortion pill is a medicine that ends an early pregnancy. In general, it can be used up to 63 days — 9 weeks — after the first day of a woman's last period. Women who need an abortion and are more than 9 weeks pregnant can have an in-clinic abortion. It works about 97 out of every 100 times.

In-Clinic Abortion Procedures

• Medical procedures that end pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$900 in the first trimester

There is more than one kind of in-clinic abortion procedure. The most common is called aspiration. It is also known as vacuum aspiration. Aspiration is usually used up to 16 weeks after a woman’s last period. D&E — dilation and evacuation — is another kind of in-clinic abortion. D&E is usually performed later than 16 weeks after a woman's last period. In-clinic abortions work almost every time they are done.

Source: Planned Parenthood

Are Those Posters the Antis Have Legit?

The answer is both yes and no. Often the facts are blatant lies. This video is an interesting look at what some women are told when they attempt to access reproductive health services. It's only about two minutes long, so please check it out:


But one of the most disturbing things about escorting is the images that the antis use to demonstrate what an abortion really looks like. They are graphic, bloody, and upsetting. They are also misrepresentations of what doctors refer to as the products of conception.

Many abortion protest photographs are artist's renderings or the result of image manipulation, and the bulk of the rest are of very late-term fetuses aborted for emergency medical reasons. The most well-known graphic abortion poster is of a 30-week-old fetus, aborted six full weeks into the third trimester. The vast majority of abortions are performed during the first trimester, and Roe v. Wade only protects first and second trimester abortions.