Anti-abortionists verbally abuse, videotape, and physically harass anyone trying to enter our clinics. They prevent women from receiving healthcare, threaten clinic staff, assault patients, and vandalize offices. Our first pro-choice clinic action outside Planned Parenthood in Allston was on an ordinary weekend in August. Now we come on the second Saturday of every month, when the abortion opponents make a show of force.

October 15, 2005

Although it was raining cats and dogs for most of the morning, by 8:30 am about seven anti-abortion “Operation Rescue” (OR) members had already arrived! There were ten or twelve of them later in the morning, and they set up three displays on the sidewalk with pictures of “fetuses.”

Six of us in the Coalition to Defend Reproductive Rights (CDRR) came out for this action. At most there were five of us at once. Two held up the pink banner saying "Your Body, Your Life, Your Choice" along the wall to the right side of the clinic entrance, with the banner facing the street. The remainder of us held matching pink fabric in front of OR's sidewalk displays. We wore pink armbands on both arms—yes, including the men—to be as visible as possible.

We stood collectively silent and non-violent, not engaging Operation Rescuers in arguments or loud confrontation. We were mostly stationary, unless OR moved their signs. The head Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) volunteer escort said she appreciated us keeping OR from bothering patients by causing them to talk to us instead. PPLM volunteers help “escort” patients into the clinic, but may not speak to harassers. Before leaving she also told us she felt she could give a good report on what had happened to the PPLM staff.

Two or three men stood with a giant cross, holding rosaries directly outside PPLM's door, facing the entrance so they were the first thing you could see on coming out. Another man tried to hold a giant dead fetus poster there too, but I held a large pink cloth in front. The whole time the men kept up singing and praying. Other OR members, several women, were trying an "act like a lamb" missionary approach, giving brochures to passersby and acting like they were offering services. Every so often the act slipped and they would follow after patients, screaming about murder and going to hell. They approached everyone walking past that they could, trying to engage them in conversation.

The OR people exhibited both anger and sugar-coated attempts to convert us, but did not become violently threatening (unlike during our first action). They told us they were praying for us, kept saying we had blood on our hands, etc.—but did not rip our cloths from us as they had before, when they were present in a much larger group. One older woman repeatedly said she understood I was just a young woman who wanted love and I was out there being a "show off" to get attention. I asked her why she kept giving me attention then. I said I was out there because I loved people, and didn't think she was hate-motivated. She eventually got mad and stood in front of me, purposefully holding her umbrella so it dripped on my hat.

Through listening to OR people, I began to get an interesting taste of how their conservative ideologies fit together. I struck up a conversation with a ten-year-old boy. When I asked him why he was there, he gave the usual about millions of dead babies—and then said, if there are more babies and more people, then taxes will be lower. When I first stood in front of a fetus display, a man repeatedly kept coming up to me, growling, "You can't touch the sign, that's private property!" and later, "Do you understand English?! Where are you from? Do you UNDERSTAND ENGLISH?"

The woman who kept trying to talk to me also mentioned, "Your country [China, I assume?] kills babies, and now you're trying to spread abortion here!" In this same group, you had another man ranting to us about how racist Margaret Sanger was—a common line OR members shout to black women, but which they threw at a white man in our group today.

After the PPLM escorts left around 11 am, the same woman was standing in the buffer zone talking at a teenager who obviously didn't want her there.  I yelled over, "It's illegal to talk to people who don't want to talk to you in the buffer zone," pointed to the sign on the building, and said she had to stand behind the white line.

So she came up to me all pissed, shouting "You're just a young whipper-snapper!  I'VE been doing this for years...." and so on, eventually culminating with: "Who's going to pay for Social Security? There's not going to be enough young people to pay for Social Security!"

Of course I had to respond, "Why don't you fight for Social Security then?  Why don't you fight for housing and healthcare?" To which she yelled, "You foreigners just come over here to MOOCH OFF OF US!" and stormed off.

The Operation Rescue people packed up and left promptly at 11:30 am as usual. We were in store for another surprise, though: at 11:40 am (it was still raining), a new group of about fourteen came out! They were younger than the OR folk, in their 20s and 30s. A dozen stood in a line facing the entrance to the clinic, blocking it off like a human wall; they had rosaries, prayer mats, and pictures of babies. They began to recite Hail Marys without stopping, pretty creepy and intimidating. Several young women with umbrellas, rosaries, and literature, waited by the door accosting people, within the buffer zone—they yelled at patients going in, and also followed passersby down the street for up to two blocks! We left at around 12 pm.

Our actions take place on "Second Saturdays" of the month, when OR regularly appears in a group of 30-50 to hold vigil. For years, the police have set up two pens on these dates: one for Operation Rescue and one for any counter-protesters. The pens are not an equal distance from the clinic: one is closer, on the sidewalk, the other is on the street. For the last nine years, OR has always claimed the police pen closest to the clinic. And in the past few years, they have largely demonstrated unopposed, with the second pen empty of pro-choice supporters.

November 12, 2005

At least 15 people made it out today! When Annie, Bill, and I arrived at around 8:10 am, the pens had already been set up. Earlier than usual, the police were expecting us. We claimed the one closer to the clinic. There were already a few OR people present approaching patients, but we ignored them because we didn't have the numbers yet. As more of us arrived we gave everyone pink cloth with the woman-power symbol to pin on, as well as pink armbands. We also had two large pink cloths with giant woman-power symbols, one on some sticks to hoist over raised signs, and a lot more blank cloths. We were ready with new pamphlets reading, "You are about to walk by ‘Operation Rescue,’ or as we call them, Operation Oppress-You"—and which explained right-wing myths and photo misrepresentations, while making a case for abortion rights. We had literature on Emergency Contraception. I began blocking a man holding a big dead fetus poster opposite the entrance to the clinic.

We were several high school students; members of the Green-Rainbow party, Womens Intrnational League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Women's Fightback Network, and CodePink (in full regalia); college students; random people who had just seen the email announce and showed up; a man who often goes to demonstrate for choice and was surprised to find us.

As 9 am started to roll around and we saw an OR crowd gathering further down the street, five of us got into the protest pen closer to the clinic, standing in a line with our arms linked, holding the pink banner reading "Your Body, Your Life, Your Choice!"

The police were present at this time, and their supervisor, William Evans, dressed in all black in semi-plainclothes, approached us and began to threaten us. He did not exactly threaten arrest, but told us we were provoking OR to confrontation by standing there, they had been using the inner pen for over nine years, and we had better move to the outer pen.I explained to him calmly that I'd been told the pens could be claimed on a first-come first-serve basis. He tried to deny this.

I also said we did not intend to do anything violent, we were not going to hit or push anyone, we were just going to stand. He kept repeating how "this is the way it's always been for years," implying OR had rights to the pen, and I kept saying respectfully that we were only expressing our free speech. He said do what we like but we better watch out. He ordered one side of each pen swung open wide, and we were standing there across the gap to our pen hoping not to be bulldozed over by the OR crowd like before in August. Fortunately, there was a BU student who had a video camera, and we yelled over to him about the situation and asked him to film closely. A woman spectator almost joined us inside the pen, but decided not to risk arrest. 

None of us wanted to get arrested. I personally felt it would be ridiculous if the police suddenly arrested without any explicit warning, since we were standing in a dead-end pen, not blocking a sidewalk, and we were not going to throw the first punch. 

I expected the police to at least give us prior notice, and anyhow, I thought that even if we needed to acquiesce to the police at the last minute to avoid arrest, we certainly had to look like we were confidently standing our ground as OR approached so they wouldn't take the opportunity to push us around! So we stood our ground, while Annie collected materials and put them in the car so they wouldn't get destroyed. OR walked towards us... and deciding not to escalate, simply took a turn into the outer pen. Woohoo! Annie bets the police probably gave OR a similar story beforehand to scare them too.

A line of us remained in position at the entrance of that pen, to hold up our banner in case anything happened, for the rest of the morning. We continued as at the last action before, simply standing silently and blocking propaganda with our pink banners. 

Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics throughout the country have reacted varyingly to pro-choice clinic actions.  San Francisco's Planned Parenthood collaborated with pro-choice activists who formed a human wall in front of the clinic, to supplement the clinic’s volunteer escorts by obstructing anti-abortionists. The Women's Choice Clinic in Oakland openly supports clinic defense. But in Boston, the tactic has been contentious for PPLM, and in recent years, the local National Organization of Women (NOW). PPLM’s volunteer clinic escorts are not allowed to address harassers – or express any stance on abortion.

At one point the President of PPLM personally introduced herself to me and told me she wanted me to leave the area in front of the entrance and go to the far end of the pen, while the man I was blocking cursed her clinic as an abortion mill. I decided not to move, since a small crowd of OR people had stood there first and would remain regardless, while only two of we CDRR members took up positions in the space.

Then about thirty Catholic school children who looked age ten or so arrived, and stood outside in a semi-circle before the clinic entrance—holding signs saying "Don't Do it," and "Abortion is Murder," while joining with OR's prayers and hymns. OR women stood at the entrance to PPLM screaming at women going inside "Mother, don't kill your baby, we want to help you!"

OR was separated from the building and their loudspeaker by our presence in the inner pen. As a result, the anti-choice protesters were quieter than in August, at least from the sidewalk. They couldn't dangle their rosaries over the rail, try to kiss or talk with people walking by, etc.

The highlight of the day for me was when three women who had independently accompanied friends or daughters to get abortions today hung out with us—and took part in our action, holding up banners. One even put our pamphlets inside PPLM! 

Another woman who had brought her daughter to the clinic described how a few years ago OR had taken her to court, because they grabbed her daughter going to the clinic, and she pushed them back.

The police eventually seemed to set up a system where everyone holding signs was ordered to stand behind the white line outside the buffer zone.  But OR women not carrying signs remained in the buffer zone, including a nun in full outfit, calling out to patients. A police officer approached me once and told me I better stay behind the white line, because his supervisor was losing his patience with me and would arrest me soon if I didn't. I said it was not illegal to stand in the buffer zone if I wasn't approaching anyone, but was careful to stay out of it after.

Later when the police seemed to be leaving, the man whose sign I was blocking began pushing me harder.  I went from politely asking him to refrain, to yelling out that he was pushing me, to stepping slightly out of the way when he pushed hard so that he kept falling forward.  The woman who had taken her daughter to get an abortion yelled at him to stop pushing, and went to help me complain to the police.  

The OR congregation in the pen left early, around 10:30 am. The last hymn they sang together was "God Bless America!” After the action while we sat and debriefed, the three women came to thank us again. They all expressed disgust at how out of touch OR was with their friends' and relatives' lives. One joked if we hadn't been there she might have started a fight with one of the OR harassers...

December 10, 2005

With all the snow, I thought OR would be crazy to show up from Milton or wherever they come from. (But as it turns out, they are crazy!) As usual, a few women were there at the doors by 7:30 am. Fortunately, because of the weather, they couldn't wear those fake cop hats. We'd learned from patients' friends at the previous action that OR members posing as transportation cops had tried to trick them into parking farther away—and then tossed anti-abortion literature through their car windows!

Because of the weather, OR's presence was smaller, only a third of the usual number showed up to say rosaries—less than fifteen, and practically all older men! They did have two young men with them, though—one an MIT student—both of whom placed themselves right by the door to harass patients.

There were eleven of us— seven coming to a CDRR event for the first time. Like last month, we successfully claimed the inner pen without challenge from OR. Despite police warnings not to take the inner pen, we linked arms, and the OR group again walked into the outer pen without incident.

This time OR only had two dead fetus signs, instead of the whole collection, and no big loudspeaker system. Things again got messier after 10:30 am, which is when most of the patients are already in and the main OR "congregation" of demonstrators have left, when the younger OR "fetus-man" who had pushed me before showed up with his sign and moved around so we couldn’t stand in front. Strategy-wise, if we had more people maybe these kinds messy situations might be avoided, by us forming chains of linked arms, containing OR with our bodies....  

For the earlier part of the morning, the action looked very clean to me – David managed to distract one of the young OR men by talking to him and taking him for a walk around the block, so for awhile there were actually no OR people in front of the clinic approaching patients. Hannah's "honk for choice" sign got attention too! Incidents of police bias continued.

One of the PPLM escorts, an older man, came out to argue with us about politics afterwards—that we shouldn't block OR because that violates free speech, that we should rely on legislative routes if we don't like OR's behavior, etc. Another of the PPLM escorts, a woman, winked at us during the action....

January 14, 2006

We had at least 21 people come to the Clinic Action yesterday! But even better, the way events played out indicate the growing impact we're having.

1) In an unprecedented move, police arrested an anti-abortionist—the young man from MIT—who was violating the buffer zone law by approaching people with literature within the buffer zone!  

I have reason to believe this hasn't happened in years—certainly never in the previous months we've been out there, despite flagrant legal violations—and so this was due to our pressure. The police were certainly more vigilant in observing the buffer zone than they've been before.

Nevertheless, after this token arrest, the police failed to arrest two anti-abortionist women who were performing the same behavior. When I pointed this out, they pretended not to have seen it.

Also, the police continued to harass us for infringements they didn't call out for anti-abortionists. For instance, they zeroed in on two of our members the moment they stood within the buffer zone; when I touched a fellow pro-choice protester while talking to her about strategy within the buffer zone, an under-cover cop issued a warning at me, for touching someone in the buffer zone.

We need some more vigilant legal documentation because the National Lawyers Guild is willing to take these issues up pro bono if we wish to pursue them. At any rate, after the arrest Operation Rescue harassers were less vocal and aggressive than usual.

2) Due to our tip off, a Boston Globe photographer showed up and took pictures. We're not sure if this influenced the police in making the arrest. We don't know if they recognized her. Unfortunately, she came right after we again successfully claimed the front police pen, so she missed that "confrontation."

3) Operation Rescue did not bring out any pictures of dead fetuses at all! The extremely belligerent guy we call "fetus man" was not even there. Maybe they felt they would look stupid or distasteful, given our blocking pressure and literature exposing their photos as false propaganda.

4) For the second time, Operation Rescue did not use a loudspeaker to broadcast its sermon and hymns. Either the man who has the speaker is temporarily out of commission, or else they never had a permit in the first place and are afraid we'd point this out.

5) For some reason, the OR members have stopped wearing those pseudo-police hats. Some Nazis, who had discussed coming to oppose our action before protesting Martin Luther King Day, never showed up. I guess they're scared of the rain. Too bad, because we couldn't take photos of OR hugging them. Operation Rescue is definitely feeling the pressure from our presence!

We need your help in expanding our direct action, educational, and organizing projects!   

While legislative change at the state and federal levels is crucial, we must take back our streets and neighborhoods so women can seek reproductive healthcare without shame, isolation, and intimidation. As community members, we are concerned about the lack of access to reproductive healthcare.

Through direct action and grassroots organizing, we can reclaim public space, countering women-blaming disinformation and perceptions in our communities. We must put reproductive freedom in women's hands. Further, we wish to embolden activism for women's rights and reproductive justice on a myriad of fronts.

We believe in universal healthcare, free contraception, as well as expanded welfare and public childcare services.

contact the Coalition to Defend Reproductive Rights daplanning@lists.riseup.net (617) 566-2861

Buffer Zone bill filed

State Senators Susan Fargo and Jarrett Barrios, with State Representative Carl Sciortino and PPLM President & CEO Dianne Luby, have announced the filing of a strengthened Buffer Zone Bill. The legislation, entitled, "An Act Relative to Public Safety at Health Facilities," would establish a fixed 35-foot zone outside of health facilities within which protesters could not stand. This bill is being filed to resolve the vagueness of the current law and provide patients and staff with a real zone of safety as they enter health clinics.

—From Planned Parenthood of MA