Facts and Antis
People are being abused by anti-abortion religious extremist “protesters” (antis) at reproductive health clinics across America every day, and no one seems to know about it. People need to know.
Because one in four women will have an abortion. There is a VERY good chance you know someone who has had one. That one in four may be you. And these days, not only women have abortions; non-binary people and trans-men need care as well.
We Engage believes letting people know what is happening outside, of clinics, is one of the most important things we can do, next to escorting and defending patients.
People going to clinics shouldn’t be shamed and abused by COMPLETE STRANGERS screaming at them on bullhorns, from on top of ladders, that they are “murdering their baby." That isn’t protest – that's abuse, it's terrorism.
This behavior by antis is why clinic escorts exist. And guess what - clinic escorts shouldn't exist. Patients shouldn't need escorts to a clinic door because they are fearful of the people outside screaming at them.
We as a culture shouldn't tolerate this behavior from antis, that is why we believe it is important people know this is happening. So we can all work to make it stop. People getting healthcare shouldn't be treated this way.
We Engage also works to change the stigmatizing anti-abortion propaganda and falsehoods that antis have been really successful in pushing. Facts matter, but not to antis.
But in the end, it really comes down to this – “Do the majority of Americans want abortion to be safe, legal, and accessible for everyone?” Polls say that a majority of Americans do.
And if that answer is yes, then we all had better start to actively DO something about it – right now. We all need to get engaged in stopping antis on every front. RIGHT NOW.
Because if we don’t, legal abortion will soon be history in a lot of places; the antis are working on every front they can to take away the right to abortion everywhere they can.
Abortion – and please, we HAVE to use the “A” word – abortion is essential healthcare, just like cancer screenings and pap smears. It is JUST AS VALID.
Procedural abortion an EXTREMELY safe, common medical procedure. Abortion is normal, it is ok, and it is time we accept that and treat it that way. As long as there has been pregnancy, there has been abortion.
The reasons that people have abortions are valid, whatever those reasons are, they are personal, and no one owes any explanations to anyone about them.
And no one should have to suffer a healthcare crisis, rape, or incest to have an “acceptable” abortion, to have full autonomy. A person’s bodily autonomy isn’t negotiable; bodily autonomy is a human right.
Birth control doesn’t always work, medical issues happen, the time to be pregnant isn’t always right. 35 to 40 years of fertility management is a LONG TIME for everything to go right.
Because abortion is healthcare, there is no reason for the stigma and the shame that the anti-abortion propaganda machine has created around it. And it is a machine.
The shaming and stigma stem from their personal RELIGIOUS belief, and that should have NO impact on someone ELSE’S healthcare.
The only religion that should impact a person's decision to have an abortion is the religion of the patient who is making the decision.
And Planned Parenthood isn’t the only abortion provider in America. Independent clinics actually provide the majority of abortion care in America, and they don’t have the resources the Planned Parenthood has, because everyone thinks of Planned Parenthood when they want to show support.
Independent clinics need support too. Check out Abortion Care Network and please donate to them and to independent clinics directly, so they can remain open and provide essential reproductive healthcare. And no clinic should suffer harassment and violence from religious anti-abortion extremists.
Abortion is not “murder”, it is not “baby-killing”. That is anti-abortion religious propaganda and a form of terrorism.
A recent example of this was the Republican National Convention. SO many speakers were acting as if you are pro-choice, then you are OK with literal infanticide. NO ONE IS OK WITH INFANTICIDE.
The RNC had Sister Deirdre Byrne, a Catholic nun and physician, speak one night who said the Democratic candidates were “the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide.” Literally, a lying doctor nun. How do you refute a lying doctor nun? These are straight-up lies from a nun. Antis are fine with lying every day to further their false narratives.
The antis' toxic mix of shame and stigma are the cause of so many negative things – people have died because of abortion lies and stigma that antis have created and sold.
Part of the antis' power lies in people's fear - fear of being shamed and stigmatized, and we can take that away from them. We can put an end to the antis' abortion stigma and shame, by refusing to give in to it and stand up for patients and facts. The antis have been the only ones with bullhorns and we have been "shamed" into silence for far too long.
It is time we put a stop to their abuse of patients seeking care. Let’s change things – we can do it, together.
It’s your engagement, and it's your voice that will push back on their lies and abuse, keep abortion safe and legal, and keep yourself, and the people you love safe.
Together, all of our voices can make a big difference. But it has to start somewhere. Let it start with you.
Together, we engage. Together, we can make it happen.
#abortionishealthcare #abortionisahumanright #clinicescort #clinicdefender #abortionisaright #stopthestigma #prochoice #proaborto #prochoiceisprolife #sidewalkcounseling #harassment #ChristianTerrorist #ChristianTaliban #engagementmatters #WeEngage #pinkhousedefenders
Insta: @weengage4good
Twitter: engage_we
Pinkhouse Defenders: FB - Pinkhouse Defenders
Insta: @thepinkhousedefenders
Twitter: @phdefenders
