For those who want to help abortion access in another way (often from home)(or in addition to escorting, as some of our volunteers do) you can volunteer with or start an abortion fund. You can find out if there’s one in your area by going to http://www.nnaf.org – if you’re in Eastern Mass though – check out http://www.emafund.org.

I love how Baraquiel put it: “since a right you can’t access is no right at all.”

Thank you again for all the work that you do!

One of the things that happens is that male antis, especially the younger ones, will try to intimidate patients with their bodies. I’ve see 3 or 4 guys surround a patient, and naturally it terrifies her. A patient who’s on the small side can get stopped in her tracks by a large man. Big/tall women don’t have the same effect.

And of course, antis like to get in the faces of boyfriends, so they use their size that way as well. But in that situation it’s better for a woman to break things up.

Escorts always love a thumbs-up, too!

Lent is most definitely their craziest time of year. This is when they do the stations of the cross and haul out the statues and all that sort of thing.

I want to point out that what we see in terms of obstruction and harassment is just the tip of the iceberg. Anti groups have become very dogged and very effective in getting local and state laws passed that hinder clinics in their work and patients in their access. Antis have used zoning laws and passed building inspection regs specifically to obstruct and intimidate clincs. They’ve tried forcing clinics to give up patient records on some flimsy public health excuse. They pass 24 hour waiting period laws that present huge problems for any woman who has to travel a long distance to get to a clinic or who has a job and/or a family.

It’s absolutely key that we maintain our awareness of this kind of strategy, because one incident of harassment at a clinic lasts that day, but a law is forever.