Facing a Fake Clinic Escort in New York City
Sunday, April 23, 2017
By Andrea Hektor, Socialist Worker | News Analysis
When pro-choice activists showed up at New York City's Margaret Sanger
Planned Parenthood early on Saturday April 1, it was immediately clear that
something wasn't right.
Members of NYC for Abortion Rights called a counterprotest that morning to
oppose a vigil by the "40 Days for Life," part of a series of actions around
the country organized by religious opponents of women right to choose.
When pro-choice protesters arrived, the church group that was supposed to be
gathering hadn't yet showed up. Instead, a few individuals were handing out
anti-choice literature to passersby, asking if they were pregnant and
attempting to discuss "options" that didn't include abortion.
Planned Parenthood escorts in official pink Planned Parenthood escort vests
stood in front of the clinic and on the street corner opposite. But there
was another person immediately in front of the clinic doors -- a middle-aged
white male who also wore a pink vest but one that didn't sport the official
Planned Parenthood escort logo.
As he spoke with a young woman of color who looked confused, it became clear
that he wasn't an official escort -- he was an anti-choicer deliberately
attempting to confuse patients by dressing as an escort and give them false
information about abortion.
The official clinic escorts did nothing to interrupt him or usher
approaching women safely into the clinic. They simply opened the front door
when a patient was immediately in front of it.
Some NYC for Abortion Rights activists walked across the street from their
designated protest area, interrupted the fake escort's conversation with the
young woman, and attempted to prevent him from harassing her. They did this
in a nonviolent and nonconfrontational manner, simply notifying the woman
that she didn't have to discuss her options with this anti-choice protester,
and that she was free to go inside the clinic and talk to a medical
professional.
***
During this interaction, the pro-choice side set up its originally planned
counterprotest, holding signs that said "Trust Women" and "NYC4Abortion
Rights" and chanting. After a lengthy conversation, the young woman talking
to the fake escort left.
Despite police presence and officially cordoned off protest zones, the
"escort in disguise" and a few cohorts remained directly in front of the
clinic, completely unfazed, and continued to distract and harass women
attempting to enter.
Eventually an activist crossed the street, stood immediately adjacent to him
and informed patients, "He's here to harass women -- you don't have to
listen to him," as he handed out literature to those walking by.
This continued throughout the 40 Days for Life demonstration, in which a
church group gathered in a protest pen on the corner opposite the pro-choice
demonstrators and the clinic. We chanted throughout, including "Not the
church, not the state, women must decide their fate," "Fund Planned
Parenthood, one in every neighborhood" and "Pray, you'll need it, your cause
will be defeated."
After an hour of praying, this group left, but the "escort in disguise"
remained for another hour, attempting to divert women from Planned
Parenthood's doors. A few pro-choice protesters subsequently went to the end
of the block and helped walk patients to the door of the clinic, buffering
them from the anti-choicers.
This activist version of "escorting" patients past the anti-choice bigots
and their abuse stood in contrast to the rules that Planned Parenthood
imposes on official escorts, demanding that they not confront or protest the
bigots at all costs.
By 11 a.m. the anti-choicers packed up to leave. Cops removed barricades,
pro-choicers congregated to debrief, engage passersby who had joined the
protest in conversation and hand out flyers for an upcoming meeting.
***
On February 11, pro-choice activists turned out to this same Manhattan
clinic to counterprotest anti-choice bigots who were part of a national day
of action demanding that Planned Parenthood be defunded. Since then, there's
been ongoing controversy regarding Planned Parenthood's official stance that
counterprotests should not occur directly in front of clinics.
Planned Parenthood argues that such actions are stressful and confusing for
patients, and it would prefer that pro-choice demonstrations take place away
from clinics, leaving anti-choice demonstrators unchallenged and allowing
official escorts to usher women into buildings.
Even before the April 1 interaction, members of NYC for Abortion Rights
believed that this strategy of ignoring anti-choice demonstrators was
detrimental to maintaining a woman's right to access abortion and other
reproductive health services. This is particularly true in a climate in
which funding for Planned Parenthood faces significant attacks, abortion
rights across the country are being chipped away, and clinics of all types
are experiencing increased anti-choice harassment.
The interaction with an "escort in disguise" has only made it clearer that
it's urgent that we stand up and defend the clinics, directly in front of
their doors if needed.
If officially trained escorts are relegated to doing nothing more than
opening a door when a patient gets to it and if no one is there to counter
the anti-choicers' lies, any patient can be harassed when entering a clinic.
While Planned Parenthood argues that counterprotests by pro-choicers confuse
patients, I would ask which is more confusing, a group of demonstrators
holding signs saying "Trust Women" and chanting "My body, my choice" or
someone outfitted as an escort who does not work for Planned Parenthood and
who is deliberately attempting to dissuade women from entering?
This isn't the first time a fake escort and his friends have distracted
women in front of the Margaret Sanger clinic. According to a woman who lives
in the neighborhood and who joined the pro-choice demonstrators, this
situation occurs on a regular basis, and has for more than 15 years.
At least once a month she sees people handing out literature and harassing
patients, and on some occasions she has stood out in the street, by herself,
with a sign supporting Planned Parenthood and abortion rights. She was
incredibly grateful on this Saturday when a vocal, confident group of people
came out to stand in solidarity with patients seeking health care and to
counter the anti-choice bigots.
It's shocking that in the middle of New York City -- one of the most liberal
cities in the country -- this type of behavior on the part of anti-choicers
has gone unchallenged for more than a decade. What's less surprising is that
if this tactic is occurring here, it is definitely occurring in other
locations. In fact, fake escorts have been around for years.
It is also a crying shame that many pro-choice demonstrators protesters
don't feel comfortable intervening between an anti-choice bigot and a
patient seeking medical services. Twenty years ago, activists likely would
have encircled the anti-choice fake escort, making it impossible for him
harass patients. Today, there is a discomfort about using such tactics.
Twenty years ago, official escorts might have been more proactive in
actually escorting patients into the clinic -- from across the block or down
the street, and buffering them from harassment. Today, it appears that some
escorts are relegated to quietly opening a door.
***
Who knows how many thousands of women and other patients have been confused
by this fake escort and have been talked out of entering. These types of
anti-choicers will remain unless and until something forces them to leave.
If they have been able to remain steadfastly in their place for this long,
without on the ground pushback from pro-choice groups, it's likely that they
will continue to stay, and unopposed they may choose to escalate their
tactics.
According to a National Clinic Violence survey, 2016 saw a massive increase
in "severe violence" at clinics -- almost double what was reported in 2014.
Some 25 percent of clinics report anti-abortion activity daily, 29 percent
of clinics experience propaganda being handed out specifically targeting the
doctor (such as "wanted" type posters with name/picture/home address of
doctor), and 34 percent report severe violence has occurred at their clinic
(up from 20 percent in 2014).
Unfortunately, Planned Parenthood's strategy of non-confrontation means that
the anti-choicers engaging in these acts feel no pressure to leave. It's
well beyond time to stand up to right-wing, anti-woman bigots and force them
off the sidewalks in front of our clinics.
Imagine if instead of a few anti-choicers milling about in front of a
clinic, detaining women and feeling completely unopposed and unashamed of
their actions, dozens or hundreds of pro-choice activists came out to
counter them.
If the antis were outnumbered every time, would they eventually stop showing
up? Would women and other patients entering the clinic feel more confident
and comfortable in the fact that others supported their efforts to make
their own choices about their future -- to choose abortion if they wanted
to, or to not choose abortion if they didn't?
We don't know for sure if the pro-choice side arguing unapologetically for
abortion rights can win, but it is certain that if we do not try, we will
lose, and our rights will continue to be chipped away until legal, safe
abortion is no longer an option.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not
be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
Andrea Hektor
Andrea Hektor is a contributor to Socialist Worker.
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