Friday, October 30, 2009

I’m Being Watched

I’ve been working for Planned Parenthood in Bremerton, Washington, for 12 years. We always have protesters here, but there are more during the “40 Days for Life” campaign.

I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing them each day, but in the past two years the protesters have become more visible and vocal. They call the staff terrible names and harass the patients. They’ve egged our retaining wall and littered our parking lot with anti-choice materials. We know that some women who need our services don’t come here because they’re intimidated by the protesters.

The feeling that I’m being watched never goes away. Bremerton is a small town, and when I go out to dinner with my family I can’t help but be more alert about being followed. But I love my job and the people I work with. We do important work.

Protesters: 10

I am Emily X.

I am Planned Parenthood.

3 comments:

Julia said...

As a pro-lifer, I apologize for the hateful actions of some of my fellows. Some of us appreciate Planned Parenthood's efforts to educate women on reproductive health, provide a caring resource, and ultimately give women more control over their bodies. That is one of many goals we have in common. I do, however, respectfully oppose abortion, and ask in a spirit of education that all volunteering in clinics present adoption as an option. :) thanks much.

-Julia

ps. for the record- the 40 days for lifers aren't supposed to be 'protesting'. Those who concieved it (haha-no pun intended) were envisioning a peaceful stand using prayer, focused on the issue of abortion. Please, don't hold their violence and harassment against the majority of us.

Anonymous said...

Hey I am grateful for everything you have done. Me, my family, and my fiancee, have gone through so many things together. I have gone to an abortion clinic before. When I was young, and I never ever conceived it in my mind, that i would. I was raised Catholic, plus the other half of my family are Spiritualist. Its weird how you know people growing up as family and friends, and then suddenly you tell them you got an abortion and they look at you like your a worthless whore. I know I am like so many young women who have gone through it. Growing up I was the girl who stood up to injustice for my friends, who cried when they cut down a tree...I was never a perfectionist. I did things for different reasons, whose to say that I am wrong for that? Why can't they simply ask why? Why did she do it?

Why are women going through so much pain, for the sake of pleasing the viewers? Who take no part in their lives.

Unknown said...

Thank you Julia, can we all at least agree that the health care provided by Planned Parenthood is a great service to all women, especially in a time when so many have no health insurance and no money at all to see a private doctor for what most of us consider routine exams.

Can we all come together on the simple fact that in this day and age there is no reason for women not to have access to birth control (ecluding abortion, no point in arguing about that) as we don't need nor can we afford a dozen children.

Abortion is a difficult decision, no one takes it lightly and if all was well and perfect in this world no woman would ever get pregnant when she didn't want to. Affordable or free access to birth control is the way to prevent any woman having to make the decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy.