How to Organize Support for Clinics, Physicians and Staff Ann Baker, President National Center for the Pro-Choice Majority Hightstown, New Jersey It is important to understand that the anti-abortion militants believe they can isolate and embarrass abortion providers by their campaign of harassment and intimidation. They see this as a more effective way to stop abortion than any legislative strategy promoted by the more "mainstream" wing of the anti- abortion crusade. The militants will succeed if the communities in which doctors live and abortion clinics pay taxes take a pass on standing behind these courageous medical personnel. The local pro-choice organizations may initiate systems of support for abortion providers, but it will be vitally important for the larger community to denounce the militants' tactics and show its appreciation for the providers' courage. For years before Operation Rescue was launched in 1988, there were small groups of abortion protesters who focused their efforts on the women who used abortion clinics and the clinic staffs who provided abortion services and other reproductive health care. Although few in numbers in most communities and scattered around the country in no more than three dozen cities and towns, the protesters devoted their energies to making life miserable for clinics and their clients. They probably numbered no more than 200. The mentor of this movement has been Joe Scheidler who founded the Pro-Life Action League, based in Chicago, in 1980. Scheidler had been dismissed as executive director from two anti-abortion organizations because they were displeased with his emphasis on direct-action at the clinics. In 1985 Scheidler found a publisher for his manual of dirty tricks called Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortions. And in the same year he began to hold an annual conference for people from around the country who were engaged in direct-action at their local clinics. The participants in these conferences generated a month-by-month schedule of activities they would all do together. This schedule was called "The Year of Pain and Fear." It was this group of people, coming together for an annual conference and focused on making things unpleasant at abortion clinics, that developed the strategy of large clinic blockades known as Operation Rescue. At the same time that Scheidler published Closed, a still-obscure militant, Kevin Sherlock, wrote and distributed The Abortion Busters Manual. Sherlock's focus was not on the visible harassment of providers at the clinics but on researching the professional histories of the physicians in the hopes of uncovering malpractice cases. To date this has not been a successful strategy, despite the fact that three anti-abortion organizations have dedicated much time and effort to it. However, it continues because those in the anti- abortion crusade passionately believe that only the dregs of the medical profession do abortions. It is this kind of thinking which pervades the direct-action movement that has led inevitably to the murder and attempted murder of doctors. By 1985 most of the tactics used against abortion providers existed in some form, although many of them needed refinement to become effective. But the groundwork had been laid and all that remained was for the various groups of militants to field-test these tactics until they had effective "products." The militants' actions are based on their view that they may do anything if it prevents even one abortion. Their justification for blocking access to clinics is the same justification they use when clinics have been damaged by arson/firebombing or vandalism, and when doctors are murdered, i.e., that they must do whatever is necessary to save lives. As a legal theory the necessity defence has failed repeatedly in the courts, but it allows the militants to rationalize their actions. Clinic blockades engaging large numbers of people and frequent activity dominated the efforts of the anti-abortion crusade during much of 1988-1989. the corollary of the blockades was clinic defence organized by the pro-choice community. Large numbers of people were trained to keep clinics open by arriving at a targeted clinic before the anti-abortion militants did--if possible. Sometimes this became a game of cat and mouse, but it often succeeded and enabled clinic staff and their clients to gain access to the facility while the police made arrests. However, when the frequency of blockades diminished in 1990 there were few local actions to prepare for. Since that time, the national blockade organizations have found it necessary to announce large national actions, allowing targeted cities to prepare for the intrusion of hundreds of out-of-towners intent on disrupting the clinics and the courts. Frequent blockades ended because the fines became too great for all but the most dedicated militants. Out of a total of about 14,000 people arrested since 1988, only 1,000-2,000 remain active in the direct-action movement. And most of their activity has shifted from clinic blockades to less-predictable and more intimidating forms of harassment. This ominous shift in tactics requires a similar shift by the pro-choice community, not to directly confront the militants as was possible with clinic defence but to out-maneuver them with strategies that generate community support for abortion providers. The general public has expressed its disapproval of clinic blockades and the disruption and cost associated with them. Richard Wirthlin observed in the summer of 1991 that the blockade movement had discredited the entire anti- abortion crusade. His concluding comment was that "Operation Rescue might just as well have been funded by NARAL." In many of those communities where the militants have waged their campaign of harassment and intimidation, the public has been clear in rejecting their tactics. It is important that the community also step forward to support the providers. In Omaha, NE where a few militants took their campaign to a local Lutheran congregation because a physician and his family were members, denunciations came in the editorial pages and from civic leaders. The tactics included graffiti at the church, interrupting religious services, and obtaining a mailing list of the members of that congregation and mailing a disgusting attack of the physician to each household. The people of Omaha found these tactics repulsive. The individual responsible for organizing the intimidation quietly slipped out of town because of the opprobrium and showed up next in Providence, RI where he launched a harassment campaign against the local leaders of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights and the Planned Parenthood clinic. Again, he was denounced by the community, and the clinic was actively supported. Similar tactics are in use in cities all over the country and the militants who are organizing the campaign are not moving away. Sometimes this is because the city is too large and their actions don't outrage a large-enough segment of the community. Sometimes the militants are gratified by the attention they receive from the media for their persistence. Often it is because there have not been any concerted efforts at organizing community outrage. The militants believe that abortion providers are outcasts and no respectable person will stand up for them when they are victimized. The pro-choice community faces a bigger challenge from these more covert threats to abortion providers than it did during the heyday of clinic blockades. It must become the agent that reaches out to the larger community in those cities where the militants are getting away with their campaign of intimidation, and generate a variety of supporters and affirmations that will defuse the smear campaign waged by the anti-abortion militants. Rather than trying to counter the tactics used by the militants, it is necessary to educate the public about the motivation of those who provide abortions and the nature of the abortion decision. In the overall struggle to guarantee the constitutional right to preproductive choice, pro-choice support will be less fragile as we successfully make these points. And when it comes to protecting access to abortion clinics, unless the pro-choice community undertakes this kind of public education campaign we will find that the direct-action against the clinics will succeed in many cities. Many people who are aligned with the pro-choice movement have taken their position because they perceive the anti-abortion crusade to be a wedge in the separation of church and state. Or, they advocate population control. But they are uncomfortable with the fact of women actually choosing abortion. These are the people who don't want to see abortion become illegal again, but they wish that only a few women needed abortion and could obtain them from their own gynecologist. The fact that 1.5 million women obtain abortions annually, and that there are specialized clinics that provide abortions, is something these people would prefer to ignore. If there is ever going to be strong support for providers, the pro-choice community must find ways to educate others who are fundamentally pro-choice but ill-at-ease with abortion. It will be impossible to generate support for providers from the civic associations, service clubs, public officials, and the local media until the pro-choice community undertakes the kind of effective public education about abortion that has been associated with the anti-abortion crusade for twenty years. The opponents of abortion recognized that they were a minority movement and needed to change minds. So they concentrated on people who can be made uncomfortable with the fact of abortion even as they support the right to make reproductive choices. The success of this strategy is revealed in public opinion polls in which large percentages of those who affirm the right to abortion indicate their support for government restrictions on some abortions. Because of the polling research of NARAL, the pro-choice movement effectively asked the question, Who Decides? You or Them? Now the pro-choice movement must go beyond that challenging question to personify the women who make that decision. By telling the stories of the women who need abortions, and thereby easing the discomfort many people have with abortion, we will be able to highlight the courageous people who provide abortions in the combat zone that exists around their clinics and their homes. There are few other areas of work in which people live with such an intense level of personal threat. They are willing to do this because they believe women need caring places in which to receive abortions. There is no amount of money that can adequately compensate for the threatening environment in which they provide reproductive healthcare. Thousands of people belonging to hundreds of organizations will have access to this manual. Many of them may be challenged by the anti-abortion harassment of doctors in their communities, and wondering what can be done to alleviate the threatening environment around abortion clinics. Developing concrete responses to any situation must always emerge in the local community, although national organizations may be able to suggest guidelines. The National Center for the Pro Choice Majority is accessible to any group that is working to provide support to abortion clinics through a public education campaign. ================================================================= This Door Stays Open: A Community Action Guide National Abortion Federation Washington, D.C. Abortion is a part of good reproductive health care. By providing this service, health practitioners who perform abortions have contributed to the improvement of the health of women and children in this country. What can you do to support abortion providers in your community and protect access to reproductive health care? Plenty and here are some ideas to get you started: Supporting Providers 1. Wear a "This Door Stays Open" Button all the time! Put it on when you go shopping, when you're on public transportation, when you go out to eat. You'll get lots of questions "What door? Why should it stay open?" These are opportunities to get more people involved! (Carry a few extra buttons with you.) 2. Ask your local abortion provider what you can do to help. Some possibilities: Volunteer as a patient escort when clinics have blockades or picketers. Sponsor a "clinic watch" program if you live near a clinic or drive by one regularly, make a point of scanning for anything or anyone unusual on the premises, especially late at night. You can even set up a schedule if enough people are interested and the clinic agrees. Offer your professional services pro bono legal work, accounting, graphic design, or other skills. Provide transportation for patients or staff, especially in bad weather. Host a fundraiser many clinics have funds to help women who cannot afford to pay for abortion or birth control, and these funds are usually stretched to the limit. Organize a neighborhood or city "clinic support" group and plan activities. For example, if a nearby provider is being personally harassed, sponsor a block party for their family. When the picketers arrive, the neighbors will all be out on their lawns, socializing, having a potluck meal, and displaying signs that say "Friends of Dr. ," or "We support Dr. ." 3. Correspond with the clinic regularly. Send the staff holiday cards, and write notes of encouragement and concern if you hear of an incident of blockading or vandalism. A positive letter from a supportive neighbor will brighten the day for the entire staff. Involving Other Physicians and the Medical Community 4. Ask your own family physician or OB/GYN if he or she performs abortions. If the answer is yes, refer friends to this physician and back him or her all the way! If the answer is no, ask why not. Ask if they support the abortion providers in the area and would consider working with them. If your physician is anti-choice, change doctors! 5. If there is a medical school in or near your community, find out if their program includes abortion training. If not, submit a proposal that they add this training. Ask if the medical school's residency program includes a rotation with a local abortion provider. Again, if it does not, demand that it be added. Abortion is one of the most common types of gynecological surgery, and it must be taught universally in medical schools and residency programs. 6. Do you know a retired doctor who remembers the days when abortions were illegal? Ask him or her to speak out about those experiences and share the understanding of why we must protect access to safe, legal abortion. 7. Find out if your local hospital provides abortions. If they do, send supportive letters to the hospital board. If not, organize a petition drive asking the hospital to add abortion services. Work in Civic, Religious and Professional Groups 8. Join local civic organizations where you can make a difference on this issue. Get involved with the PTA, the school board, the hospital committee, and other educational, medical, and public service groups. 9. Involve your professional, philanthropic, educational, religious, or other community group. Do you belong to an organization such as the Jaycees, Kiwanis, the library association, the downtown merchants' association, or a church council? Ask if you can plan a program for one of your group's meetings, and invite a provider to speak as part of the program. 10. Ask your minister, pastor, rabbi or other clergy to speak out during worship and condemn violence and intimidation directed against providers. 11. Go to city council or neighborhood committee meetings, and get on the agenda! Prepare a brief statement calling on the city or your neighborhood to get involved in supporting abortion providers. 12. Ask local and national organizations to which you belong to adopt an official pro-choice position, if they don't have one already. 13. If you are a lawyer, and you don't belong to the American Bar Association, join! Be sure to tell them that one of the reasons you are joining is because the ABA has readopted its official pro-choice position. Letters and Lobbying 14. Write a letter to the editor or op-ed page for your local newspaper. Talk specifically about the services of abortion providers, their importance, and how urgent it is that your community stand together against harassment and terrorism. (Be sure to share copies of these and other letters with your providers.) 15. Write to all your community leaders, asking that they advocate strict penalties against those who blockade, vandalize, and terrorize abortion facilities and their staffs. Write to and follow up with your mayor, city council, city, district and state's attorneys, local judges, and chief of police. 16. Encourage city officials to adopt a resolution or policy statement stating the city's pro-choice position, and declaring that the city welcomes abortion and reproductive health care facilities as part of the community. 17. Find out if your state has an anti-stalking law, and if so, if the state's attorney general has an opinion on whether the law applies to those who stalk abortion providers. Lobby your governor and state legislators for such laws. 18. Write to companies with which you do business, and ask their position on choice. If they have a corporate giving program (most large companies do), ask if they give to Planned Parenthood or other reproductive health service organizations. Explain why every corporate giving program should support abortion services and reproductive health care. Do not do business with companies whose policies are anti-choice. Media Advocacy 19. Call in to community talk radio shows or national call-in programs such as C-SPAN, and speak out against clinic blockades and antiabortion violence. 20. Ask your local radio or television stations to air programs on the need for accessible abortion services, and the threat posed by antiabortion militants. One good film to suggest is Dorothy Fadiman's "When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories." You can find out more about this Academy Award- nominated documentary by calling (415) 321-5590, or writing Concentric Media, 1070 Colby Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025. What Doctors Can Do 21. If you're a physician and have not been trained in abortion practice, find out if a local facility offers a training rotation. 22. Support colleagues who perform abortions. If a colleague in your medical building or hospital is being harassed or picketed, work with other physicians to lend your personal and professional support. 23. If you are a medical student or resident and your program does not offer abortion instruction and training, organize a student movement to demand that it be added to the curriculum. Hold petition drives and speak-outs. If You've Had an Abortion 24. Claim the experience. Share it with friends and help to combat the idea that having an abortion is a shameful or secret experience. You made a choice that was right for you, and you should not have to hide. 25. Keep in touch with your provider. Over forty percent of American women will have an abortion at some time in their lives. You are a powerful force. If you want other women to have the same good care you had, write or call your provider on occasion and ask how you can stay involved. Pass It On and Keep It Going 26. Share this list with friends and brainstorm new ideas! Please write to NAF and tell us of your efforts. If one of the suggestions on this list pays off, let us know. If you're inspired to create a new project, tell us about it! Abortion is safe and legal in America. We must work to make sure it remains accessible and that women who seek abortions and the professionals who provide them are not harassed, intimidated or terrorized. You can make a difference, and you must. Get started! u =================================================== How to Win: A Practical Guide for Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community Copyright 1994 by Radical Right Task Force Permission is granted to reproduce this publication in whole or in part. All other rights reserved. For more information contact: Pat Lewis National Jewish Democratic Council 711 Second Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 544-7636 =================================================== This document is from the Politics section of the WELL gopher server: gopher://gopher.well.com/11/Politics/ Questions and comments to: gopher@well.com .