Friday, October 3, 2008

They're back - and so am I!

Hello, world.

The anti-choice gang is at it again - 40 days of picketing, protesting, and proselytizing at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country. And here I am again to give you a glimpse of what life is like for the receptionists, nurses, doctors, and volunteers who, despite these obstacles, come to work every day, who make Planned Parenthood the amazing organization that it is.

Planned Parenthood operates more than 880 health centers throughout the country. Chances are you know of one. Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe we’ve helped you out. Maybe we’ve cleared a path so that you could come through a throng of protesters. Maybe we’ve given you a caring smile on one of the hardest days of your life. But you may not know what it’s like to work someplace where you have real enemies, where there are people who are fighting to shut you down.

So, I am inviting you to come be with me, to live life in my shoes for a moment

And I am inviting you to turn the anti-choice 40 days of protest into 40 days of fundraising, with our Pledge a Protester program. Your donations will help keep the clinic doors open for women, men, and teens in need.

This year, the 40-day protests end November 2; it’s no accident that Election Day is two days later. Planned Parenthood’s doors must – and will – stay open every day until Election Day and every day after. More than ever, the things we take for granted — that you can afford to get your birth control each month, or that your doctor will give you all your options when you come to him or her in need — are quietly slipping away. It’s an important time. And it’s not the time to sit idly by.

Last year we raised more than $50,000. Planned Parenthood would be nowhere without you. Listen to our stories. Help our cause.

I am Emily X.

I am Planned Parenthood.

10 comments:

Laci the Chinese Crested said...

I remember living in Washington, DC and was walking through one of the Anti-choice parades when one of them saw a war memorial and said "The Civil War, now that was a great war".

I felt like saying it was a senseless waste of thousands of lives.

The anti-choice people have no real respect for life as they will kill a doctor for performing abortions. They will also accept war and capital punishment even though both can cause needless suffering.

Yet they will demand that government stay out of their lives.

What is wrong with that picture?

A government that doesn't respect people's personal choices is not a just government.

Laci the Chinese Crested said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Thank you for what you do. I have been to Planned Parenthood in the past and despite the protestors I appreciated the care I got there.

I am a christian but am Pro-Choice because the decisions we all make are between us and God. I don't understand how people can be so hateful and judgemental!!

Keep up the wonderful work. I will always spread good words about Planned Parenthood.

FEMily! said...

Last spring, I took a class about community agencies. Each student had to research a community agency, interview their director and other staff, and present on the agency to the class. I decided to do this project on Planned Parenthood (specifically the ones in Metropolitan New Jersey), mostly because of the I Am Emily X blog. I thought it was really important to tell people the truth about Planned Parenthood, about all of the services they provide (none of which are abortion, at least where I live).

Quite perfectly, I presented on Planned Parenthood the same day my Catholic college campus was celebrating "Pro-Life Day."

allykat2005 said...

I had an abortion in July. When i came out after my consult, there were picketers out there yelling horrible things at me...as if my decision wasn't hard enough! I felt awful but when I went back for my procedure, every staff member was so wonderful to me! I knew they were on my side and they made me feel at ease and so relieved! You guys rock and I admire what you do and stand for!

Jackie N. said...

These pro-choice protestors don't realize that there are NOT always teens victimized by sexual predators going to Planned Parenthood's clinics.

There are regular teens--just like me--going there for birth control and other services that you are too scared of asking your parents about. Sometimes, there is no other choice. Sometimes, teens have parents--like mine--that go out of their way to discourage you from having sex, which is completely out of their hands and completely YOUR choice. Sometimes there are teens who cannot let their parents know--for their own safety--that they are pregnant and contemplating an abortion. They could be abused by their parents, or even kicked out.

These anti-choice activists are ignorant towards the fact that not all families are "thoughtful" and "caring" and will "support you no matter what." Planned Parenthood protects teens like me, by helping us through rough times when nobody else is there.

- 18-year-old pro-choice activist, Jackie.

Unknown said...

I can't imagine having to deal with such hateful people all the time, and like someone else said, these protesters don't realize that not every woman is entering the facility for an abortion. You'd think they would want women to have every bit of information for their health, sadly not everyone understands that.

What's interesting to me is that many of these protesters fight so hard to keep the abortions from happening, and as soon as the babies are born they could care less about them. No welfare, healthcare, quality of life, no external support.

Anyhow, you're awesome Emily. Keep on keepin' on

Bob said...

Emily and all the workers and volunteers,

I applaud you all for standing up for the rights of people even in the face of all the ugliness that ignorance and intolerance can bring.

You are true heroes on the front lines.

-Bob,
35 y/o ACLU activist

Claire said...

I'm so glad you're back! I followed the Emily X blog daily last year and Pledged a Protestor, and I am SO glad I did! Keep up the good work, what would we do without Planned Parenthood???

Unknown said...

I think they show up now because it's so close to Halloween, so naturally the witches and goblins are out!

Seriously, I have taken my clients ( persons with disabilities of various sorts) to Planned Parenthood for care they cannot get elsewhere. They have received education, birth control, and acceptance of their humanity, which isn't always true elsewhere. This saves lives.