The New Style
Looking back a few months ago, life was pretty simple. The primary responsibility of a Pink House Defender was to get patients from their car to the clinic door with as little harassment as possible and make sure folks parked right. When you've done this as long as we have, the circus on the sidewalk was commonplace, just another ordinary day at the Pink House. Then Covid-19 happened and suddenly, almost everything changed. What has not changed is the anti-abortion presence at the clinic.
Our incredible doctors and staff take Covid-19 very seriously and have followed the CDC protocols to the letter, each week implementing new safety precautions as updates are released. Every day is a busy day when you are the only abortion clinic in the state, but the number of patients inside the clinic has never been a big issue. Now, it's become of the utmost importance.
Companions are no longer allowed inside. To ensure the safety of patients and staff, there are never more than 15 patients in the building at a time with a maximum of 5 in the waiting room. Since we are the first people the patient encounters when coming to the clinic, it would be natural we would be part of the solution.
To make this work, we implemented a very simple system. A number from 1 to 15 is handed to patients as they arrive. The number is then logged along with the car's description. The numbers are checked off the board and tallied as patients enter. As they leave, they are deducted from the count, and cars are marked off the list.
At a time that we could use more help, and several have offered to volunteer, we have limited our team to 5-6 of our most experienced defenders. In addition to the usual information we already convey, explaining how this works to patients over antis yelling from the sidewalk is a huge challenge. Each defender plays a specific role, logging cars, relaying info, directing traffic, blocking antis, all while trying to practice social distancing. Just now are we beginning to consider bringing on new trainee defenders.
We were really hesitant as we worked this out. Our patients already suffer dehumanization from the antis and now we are assigning them a number? We were worried, but what other options did we have? If we invaded their privacy and asked their name, what then? Do we yell for "Sally", which the protesters will hear, and then personalize their harassment towards them? We decided this was what we had to do.
Our worries were put to rest on day one by the resilience of our patients. The situation has emboldened a lot of patients, and several have just put their number in their car windows, no big deal. The first time that happened, we all looked at one another, smiles crossed our faces in relief. In the middle of all of this insanity...it works!
It shouldn't have to be this way. Yes, we are in the middle of a pandemic, but at any other medical facility, one person could be stationed at the door to take names. People could peacefully wait in their car. Chairs could be put outside for patients to wait. We have chairs outside if you don't mind being called a "baby killer" as you wait for your appointment. If you don't mind a guy standing on a ladder staring at you over a privacy fence screaming that you're going to hell. Because this is the everyday reality of accessing abortion care in America.
Sometimes, reality sucks.
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