Defending our clinic from the right

PORTLAND, Ore.--Two hundred anti-abortion fanatics lined the sidewalks on Martin Luther King Boulevard on Valentine's Day to protest the opening of a new state-of-the-art Planned Parenthood clinic in the heart of one of Portland's poorest neighborhoods.

Shouting sexist slogans, waving signs with falsified pictures on them, and speaking in tongues, the demonstrators harassed clinic staff and supporters attending the opening, accusing Planned Parenthood of committing "Black genocide." Members of the group compared abortion to the Holocaust and lynching.

Luckily, the clinic staff wasn't left to weather the storm alone. A last-minute counter-demonstration was called, and 20 supporters of choice congregated to defend the clinic. Initially scattered, the pro-choice activists came together to rally at the clinic's front door, chanting, "In spite of what you're hoping, this clinic will stay open!" and "No apologies, we're not sorry, Keep your laws off my body!"

The anti-abortion zealots appealed to the community for support in their war on women by claiming that Planned Parenthood was engaging in eugenics by placing their clinic in a predominantly Black community. This accusation originates from Rev. Clenard Howard Childress Jr. on his Web site, blackgenocide.org, where he makes the argument that communities of color are targeted by Planned Parenthood in order to shrink the Black population.

Although the right is attempting to give themselves a veneer of radicalism by positioning themselves as advocates for children of color, what they're really doing is taking the sexist and racist position that women, especially women of color, can't think for themselves and make a conscious decision about how to take care of their own bodies.

Very few of the anti-choice protesters were from the neighborhood, and their argument fell on deaf ears, especially as most of the people who spouted that garbage were white men. The case against the new Planned Parenthood loses even more credibility when one considers that it's the first and only clinic in the Portland area in a community of color.

The right-wing extremists were also not beyond threats of violence to get their point across. One demonstrator held a sign that said, "Real doctors don't kill babies." When challenged to explain the recent murder of Dr. George Tiller at his Wichita, Kan., clinic, he replied, "It's a good thing he's not around to commit mass murder anymore." In another incident, a clinic defender was told by an anti-choice protester that he'd like to take a gun and shoot all the pro-choice activists.

On February 14, the anti-choice bigots kicked off "40 days for life," as part of a national attack on women orchestrated by the Web site 40daysforlife.com and endorsed by such organizations as Concerned Women for America and Worldnetdaily.com. Locally, the demonstrations are being organized by Bill Diss, founder of Precious Children of Portland, whose stated aim is to "Stop Planned Parenthood in Portland."

These protests should be recognized for what they are: An attempt to close our clinics and intimidate doctors and clinic staff, as well as women, in order to eliminate abortion as an option for women in working-class communities.

If this attack goes unanswered, women will be prevented from accessing necessary medical care including abortion. We should stand together to defend our clinics.