The Importance of Clinic Defense

Note: The following was first published at ChoiceUSA's Choice Words.
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Every Saturday morning, a dedicated group of volunteers arrives outside of the Louisville EMW Surgical Center, Kentucky's only abortion clinic. On the surface, their job is simple: accompany the clinic's patients from their cars to the clinic doors. But considering the crowds of invasive protesters doing everything in their power to block people from entering the clinic, a day in the life of a clinic escort is anything but simple.

After having possibly driven hours the morning of an abortion, this is what Kentucky's abortion patients can expect to encounter upon arrival:


They call themselves "sidewalk counselors," many of which are from the crisis pregnancy center across the street. Some wear orange jackets similar to those worn by the escorts to further confuse and ambush folks trying to enter the clinic. The ACLU has said that the EMW Surgical Center encounters some of the largest, most aggressive anti-abortion protests in the country.

Further south, the NC-based antichoice group Operation Save America regularly targets Family Reproductive Health, a Charlotte clinic known by many to be one of the most caring, compassionate clinics in the state.


The man depicted in the above video, Flip Benham, was found guilty of stalking a doctor last November and given 1 year probation. The ruling hasn't stopped Benham's followers from appearing week after week to shout over the clinic's gate in his place. Clinic defender and activist Scott Trent describes OSA as "one of the most reactionary, bigoted Christian Fascist groups in the country." Despite the very dedicated group of defenders that show up in the wee hours every week, the harassment continues. "They regularly climb the tree on the border of the property to shout at women going into the clinic, block the driveway in flagrant violation of the FACE Act," Trent tells me, adding that local police regularly neglect to enforce the federal law.

During one of the weeks I was able to make the 90-mile trek to Charlotte, a representative from an area mom's group approached me with a contact sheet. "As a group, we're neither pro-choice nor pro-life," she told me, but they oppose Operation Save America because of their tactics. She was referring to the giant posters depicting aborted fetuses and embryonic remains, saying that as moms, they don't want their young children exposed to such gruesome images. Additionally, she continued, "One of our moms has had multiple miscarriages, several have had abortions, and the posters trigger panic attacks." The moms group is working on a project where folks can hold signs warning oncoming traffic that there are graphic images ahead, then point folks in the direction of a detour.

I could go on about the importance of clinic defense, how activists in both small and large numbers sacrifice their time and their safety to uphold the right to choose. It shouldn't have to be this way, but this is the reality we live in. And while the Feds and local law enforcement alike could be doing more to enforce the FACE Act, defenders put themselves on the line to pick up where the police do not (or cannot) step in.

End Note: This summer, Operation Rescue is revitalizing the "Summer of Mercy" event that led to increasingly violent action against the slain Dr. Tiller in Wichita 20 years ago. This time they're targeting Dr. Carhart at his new Germantown, MD location. If you are able, hook in with local organizations, contact folks organizing defense projects to keep this clinic safe and open. The Summer of Mercy event 20 years ago involved human blockages of clinic entrances, massive arrests, violence, and profound harassment of those receiving much-needed needed care.

This Is Why Your Kids Are Sick

Mere hours after running across this fantastic mama blog on all the great reasons to let your kids get dirty, I discovered a brand new product that Lysol thinks we should all be using: disinfectant spray for your fabrics! 

Not to get all "back in my day," because to be sure, "my day" wasn't all that long ago.  And I'm sure the 80s had their share of "Lysol Moms" too.  Fortunately, my mom wasn't one of them, and I have the immune system to thank for it.  This is not to say that all kids who get sick a lot or who have many allergies are victims of over-cleanliness, but if you're questioning why more and more older kids and young adults seem to get knocked on their asses every time a virus goes around, you might not have to look much further than Target's cleaner aisles.  (And a few other choice environmental hazards.)

The "germophobia" thing bugs me for more reasons than the fact that other people's kids are going to be getting sicker (though I do work in health, so it is a concern of mine).  It's bad enough that whole generations of children are being denied the ability to develop their own immune systems, but there are other consequences as well:

• The burden of a sterile environment falls, not surprisingly, on Mom.  Women, especially moms, have long been targeted for their consumer ability and the expectation that they will keep their homes spotless.  The blame for anything less than a 100% sterile environment generally falls right smack on "bad mothering." 
• Creating a sterile environment requires a home keeper to purchase products, and lots of them.  Clorox, Proctor and Gamble, and others are really cashing in on the germophobia that they have surely had a hand in creating.  
• These products are horrible -- let me say that again -- HORRIBLE for the environment.  Whether it's in their manufacturing, transport, or utility, the vast majority of cleaning products are riddled with chemicals that create a toxic (albeit a "sterile" version of toxic) environment. 
• I'm not gonna lie... I believe that germophobia can limit a kid's right to be a kid.  Playing in the dirt, touching stuff that all their friends have touched, sharing an ice cream cone with your dog... it's what I want for my kid(s?), and I know it's what many kids want for themselves.  They don't need to have these awesome activities interrupted every 20 minutes for a "Purell break."
• That a huge body of medical research encourages parents to let their kids be dirty little hooligans proves just how pervasive the sterile impulse is. 

So while I may entitle this collection "This Is Why Your Kid Is Sick All The Time," know that I have more concerns than the strength of a child's immune system.  To be sure, the immunity is a big one, but what goes along with it is an all-encompassing, uber-feminist anti-capitalist vendetta against all things sterile.

The product that started it all.  You know, for all the household items that can't be sprayed down with traditional disinfectant.  I imagine this product is much like Febreze, except it's guaranteed to kill everything in its path... including, most likely, one or two layers of your skin.

 

Proudly wear your Purell Bling!  Hook it everywhere... your pocket book, backpack, diaper bag... oh yes, don't forget to slop the stuff all over your infant (I've seen it done)!

 

Lysol Disinfectant Spray... for the air!  Just spray it everywhere.  For serious, just run around your house letting that aerosol can add some sterility to the very air you breathe.

Germ-X is basically just isopropyl alcohol, so while its over-use will eventually create more alcohol-resistant bacteria (not to mention halt your kids' immune development if it's over-used), it's generally not terrible for the environ... oh, shit.  "Individually Wrapped Wipes?" Crap.

 Meanwhile, in the world of creating a problem so you can sell the solution, Kleenex is trying to convince you that cloth hand towels are germ-ridden plague factories.  According to their website,  "The CDC guidelines for hand washing recommends hand drying with a single-use towel."  (Oh, do they now?)  Of course, for those committed to keeping their home as sterile as the average clinic environment, sure, why not toss out those money- and environment-saving cloth towels for a single-use piece of paper?

Taking a break from cleaning products to point out the single most effective way folks can help their kids develop a strong immune systems: BREASTFEEDING!  Won't go too deeply into this one, since if you're reading my blog you already know it, but breastmilk contains more readily-digestible vitamins, nutrients, and yes, immune-building antibodies than any other infant food.  In fact, new research suggests that the mama's skin cells (ingested by baby when s/he latches) contain antibodies that fight off air-borne infections that might have just entered the environment (can't find the article right now, sorry).  In other words, putting baby to breast is like a more effective (and less stinky) Lysol spray! 

I know, I know... shopping carts are loaded with nasty crap.  But come on.  If it's flu season, by all means, wipe it down with a wet cloth (or just be old-school and wash your hands after you shop), but let's not forget the effects of antibacterial over-use.

I might get shat on for this one.  I admit, shopping carts are incredibly dirty, and the covers are incredibly cute.  It might make us cringe to think about what flavors of nasty lurk upon our carts' handlebars, but I have enough friends with toddlers to know that this is far from the grossest thing your kid will put in her mouth today. Besides, isn't this just one more product that moms are being guilt-tripped into purchasing?  One more thing to carry in the diaper bag?  One more thing to futz with at the grocery store while your other youngsters run off and eat god knows what?

I saw a lil' one the other day at Earth Face, probably around 18 months, vociferously gnawing on the bare handlebars of the shopping cart.  And you know what?  I bet that child is going to be just fine.

 

Do I even need to discuss the over-use of antibiotics?  I didn't think so.  I mean, if we're talking a severe infection with a fever and all that, for the love of all that is holy, get your child some antibiotics!  But a sniffle with nothing more than a low-grade fever?  No diagnosis of infection?  Prescription for Amoxicillin "just in case?"  I wouldn't go there.

Of course, as I've said, the biggest issue I have with the clean craze (aside from the total robbing of one's childhood) is the burden it puts on women, particularly Mom, to keep the kids safe from any and all things germy.  A child that gnaws on a shopping cart handle, eats mud, or decides that the contents of the kitty litter box is candy may very well contract a virus, an infection, a parasite... but that's why we have medicine.  Preemptive treatments -- that is, the treatments that rob us of our natural abilities to fight off the bad stuff -- are well-known to put us at greater risk, and from that no one benefits.  Of course, waiting until an illness pops up doesn't make a lot of money, especially to the P&Gs of the world.  So we create problems, then sell the stuff to fix it.  And when it comes to such pervasive indoctrination of entire generations, we gotta start 'em early:

 

For the rest of you, let your kids' filth flags fly!

Mother's Day 2011

This Mama's Day, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice's Strong Families Initiative partnered with a number of organizations to host a blog series on motherhood and justice.  This series was intended to give special recognition to the moms who often go unnoticed: young moms, moms of color, queer moms, moms who didn't give birth to their children, immigrant moms and others. 

I was asked, via my blogging gig at ChoiceUSA, to add my perspective as a birth doula who also works in the reproductive justice field.  My piece centered around the many intersections of abortion and motherhood, compounded by other factors such as race, class, documentation status, gender identity, etc.

Read it here:

Supporting Her Journey: A Full-Spectrum Doula’s Look at the Politics of Motherhood