Harassment?

The 40 Days for Life has been going on for a couple of weeks now all across the country. As I write this, it is 3:35am and I’m sitting by myself in front of the state’s deadliest place – Planned Parenthood at 3601 Fannin in Midtown, Houston. Every year, about 6,500 children’s lives are snuffed out prematurely, in the rooms directly behind me. It is almost surreal to be here right now. I spend most of my time slowly walking back and forth praying the Rosary, asking God to change hearts, and meditating on the unspeakable love that He has for each person He brings into being. Apparently, though, this is “inexcusable behavior”.

Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas sent out an email several weeks ago soliciting for funds and volunteer escorts, and stating, “ANTI-birth control, ANTI-sex education and ANTI-choice extremists are, once again, planning to harass the clients and staff of Planned Parenthood for 40 days beginning later this month. These extremists plan to stand outside our health centers- perhaps all 10 Planned Parenthood locations across southeast Texas- for 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. They will shout at and photograph clients, push misleading information in their faces, and do all they can to stand in the way of clients trying to enter our health centers. (emphasis mine)” This past week, they once again sent out an email calling for all “superheroes” to donate money and time to their righteous cause. “Last Wednesday anti-choice protesters began harassing clients at FIVE Planned Parenthood health centers across southeast Texas. For the next 40 days responsible individuals and families seeking confidential, nonjudgmental, unbiased health care face intimidation tactics as they visit Planned Parenthood health centers in Houston, Huntsville, Lufkin, Bryan, and Rosenberg. Stop for a second and put yourself in our clients’ shoes. It isn’t hard to do -- one in four women in the U.S. have turned to Planned Parenthood for health care. Think about what it’s like to have to walk past shouting protesters just to get to your health care provider. What unnecessary stress and anxiety it causes!” If one were to hear the party-line from Planned Parenthood, one would think this place is a war zone. Perhaps that is what PP’s security director, Steve Blumenthal, thought this past Monday, as he dressed up like a human Claymore mine. But, not all agree with the party line
“At any given time, one or two people end up standing outside of the clinic quietly praying…and most clients don’t even notice they are there.” This blog entry (Think Pink @ www.candancealittle.com) by Planned Parenthood volunteer escort, Nicholas (pictured left), sounds like a far cry from the allegations of constant shouting, harassment and inexcusable behavior leveled by PP fundraisers, to solicit money from donors who probably would never dream of darkening the door of the local abortion mill for their own healthcare needs. But then again, Planned Parenthood does have a way of making up creative definitions for common terms. One notable example comes from Teenwire.com (a shining example of PP’s “age-appropriate sex education”) in which a couple of tastelessly drawn cartoon hosts inform children that pregnancy does not occur at conception, but rather at implantation. At any rate, judge for yourselves, who are the extremists, the people who pray their Rosaries, asking God to end abortion, and tell young mothers that there is help available, or the people who dress up like bombs or demons and dance chanting obscene ditties about body parts?