REFLECTIONS ON THE PINK HOUSE AS THE SCOTUS CLOCK TICKS...

It is eerily quiet outside of the clinic now. The patients have all left as have the protesters. It is too quiet actually, it gave me too much time to think.

The clinic sits on top of a hill in the "artsy district" of Jackson, an area known as Fondren. Across the street are locally owned businesses, next door an enormous hotel and behind is a quiet residential area. This pink building blends right in with all of the other colorful surrounding businesses in what's considered the "progressive" section of our city. But this medical facility is special. This clinic is Jackson Women's Health Organization. THIS is The Pink House. The Pink House is the LAST beacon of hope for women seeking reproductive healthcare in the abortion desert that is Mississippi. You see, for 16 years the Pink House has been the ONLY abortion clinic in the entire state. I've stood in the parking lot of this clinic for over 9 years as a volunteer clinic escort but today I wonder if there will be a 10th year.

I lean against a pillar that helps serve as a dividing wall between the patients and the Christian extremists on the sidewalk. Though not a solid barricade it helps to deter the antis as we walk patients to the clinic door. This particular pillar is right by our driveway and has endured a lot over time. I run my fingers down the corner that has been chipped away in several places. The pillar sits beside what is usually our last parking space in the tiny parking lot. When a man is screaming at you on a bullhorn and holding a sign with a (supposed) aborted "baby" on it getting your car in that small spot can be quite a challenge. I remember every car that has hit or scraped that pillar. Some patients haven't even bothered to look at their car until after they come back out. When you have jumped over so many hurdles and gone through so many barricades to access abortion care you aren't going to let a single concrete pillar stop you. Resilience is a thing here.

There is a little patio area outside of the clinic door. We call it "the pit". The pit is further away from the protesters, so it serves as a multipurpose area. Sometimes we have to calm patients down that were harassed by the antis as they tried to pull into the parking lot. The pit gives them a moment to recompose themselves. Since the start of Covid-19 safety protocols allow only a limited number of patients in the waiting room so if patients were dropped off or walked up, they sometimes must wait in the pit a few minutes before entering. We turn up the music to drown out the anti's voices. It's not ideal, but better than nothing, and many patients thank us for it.

The general public has no idea who the protesters are and the current state of abortion access. The pit has given us an opportunity to have some great conversations with both companions and patients and enabled us to educate and inform a lot of folks about the dire situation we are in. Patients occasionally chat among themselves here giving a sense of comradery and making that walk back past the antis much easier. NO, a medical facility shouldn't need a "pit" as a safe haven for their patients, but we are grateful to have it.

I walk to the front of the building and stare at the metal black and white sign: Jackson Women's Health Organization. The weather has beat it up a bit over the years, it's been blown off of its poles before, but there it still stands. A supporter once said: "Y'all should get a better sign, bigger, maybe neon." No dude, you just don't get it. The solidity of this sign reflects ALL that is the Pink House. It’s weathered all kinds of storms and still stands strong.

There are hedges here in front of the building. A few months ago, one of them got a mind of its own. One little vine grew straight up the front wall of the building. We talked about cutting it down, but we didn't. I really like that vine. It’s 4 arms are symbolic. One stands for Diane, the clinic owner, who painted the clinic bright pink in 2013. Paraphrasing her: "This is a healthcare facility. We aren't going to hide in the shadows any longer. I want everyone to see us and know that we are damn proud of what we do here, and we aren't going away." One represents Shannon, the clinic director, who has served as the face of the clinic for 12 years. Since the SCOTUS case was announced last May she has spent countless hours in front of journalist's cameras (not her favorite thing) fighting to keep access available. One represents the defenders vigilantly watching the antis and protecting the patients. The top part is the Pink House, standing tall and telling the world “I’m still here, I’m still fighting.” Yeah, that little vine is strong and determined, just like the people that are leading the charge to keep abortion access available not just here in Mississippi but across the nation.

I'm sitting on the retaining wall now looking up at the Pink House with clouded eyes. It's hard y'all. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the staff, the volunteers and the Pink House itself. I'm not here just on occasion, almost 12,000 hours of my life has been spent in the parking lot of this clinic. In less than 4 months we will know the fate...not just of the Pink House but possibly of abortion access nationwide. Our ultimate goal has always been to NOT be here. To normalize abortion care so that clinic escorts are no longer needed. To permanently hang up our vests and go fight for other causes. But it wasn't supposed to be LIKE THIS...with half of the population of this nation about to lose their full humanity. Yet...here we are...

Am I done? FUCK NO! The Pink House Defenders, along with a contingency of other pro-abortion groups across the nation, will continue to fight! The Pink House Defenders will remain in the parking lot until a SWAT team puts a padlock on the door to our clinic! IF that happens, we will STILL be in the streets making our voices heard and continue fighting for the right to control our own bodies. There IS still time! We can NOT give up! Lace up your boots and put them on the ground NOW while you still have boots. Remember, they want you barefoot too...

Derenda Hancock

PINKHOUSE DEFENDER