The battle to open our clinic in Aurora, Illinois, might be over, but the war against Planned Parenthood and the women we serve continues. Right now, there are picketers outside clinics all across the country in an attempt to restrict women's access to health care services. The anti-choice people call it 40 days for life." We call it another day at the office.
Basically, the anti-choice groups have decided to picket more than 80 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country for 40 days. September 26-November 4.
We are all used to picketers -- Planned Parenthood is used to picketers. But the picketers aren't just picketing our clinics -- they're really about making it impossible for women to get health care. So we've decided to do something about it. Throughout their entire 40 days campaign, we're giving folks the opportunity to see what it's really like to work at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Every day, we're posting videos, photos and stories from our doctors and nurses to our educators and receptionists to find out what it's really like to come to work every day.
The stories we've heard are amazing. One woman hides the fact that she works at Planned Parenthood from her family because they are anti-choice. One was called a slut last week. One pedals as fast as she can into the clinic parking lot on her bike every day so that she can avoid the protesters stares. But they all have one thing in common -- they come back every single day to serve their patients.
Throughout the campaign, we'll be keeping track of the number of protesters that our staff sees. We're asking our supporters to pledge money for each protester we encounter. A nickel, a quarter, a dollar -- we can make our money go far. Every day that they stand outside our clinics and intimidate patients, they will be helping us raise money.
Our campaign is called Emily X: The True Life Diary of a Frontline Planned Parenthood Worker and Activist. Check out Emily here.