Abortion Clinic Escorts

This is a community for people who are escorts at abortion clinics, and/or people who have had abortions and want to give feedback to escorts. Come share your stories, be they hilarious, traumatic, infuriating, or informational.

What are clinic escorts and why are they necessary?

Many abortion clinics are picketed by protestors, who harass, block, and even assault women (and their friends/family members/partners who accompany them) who attempt to enter the clinics. Clinic escorts are volunteers who protect women from anti-choice protestors at abortion clinics.

Escorts:

-join the clinic patients and walk with them to the clinic so they feel supported and protected.

-stand between patients and harassing protestors (if the patients so desire)

-act as witnesses. This both prevents the protestors from engaging in illegal behavior (since they know someone's watching) and helps provide evidence against them in court should they do something illegal.

-provide a pro-choice presence to counterbalance the anti-choice extremists.


Why do you escort?

We all know that abortion rights are important and want to do our part to keep the abortion choice available. It's powerful and fulfilling to protect people who are in a vulnerable emotional state from being harassed or assaulted. It's wonderful to feel that you've helped someone who needed it. Some of us have had abortions and know what it's like to have a protestor harassing you when you try to enter the clinic.

Also, escorting is fun. Anti-choicers are nutty and they do insane things that make great stories later.


How do I become an escort?

Want to join our ranks?? I don't blame you, it's cool to be an escort!

First, contact any local pro-choice groups to see if they know of clinics in your area who need escorts. Some useful groups include:

NARAL Pro-Choice America
The Feminist Majority
Planned Parenthood

...these are national groups, but they sometimes have local chapters. You can also Google search for local branches, e.g.: pro-choice +[your city]

If that doesn't work, try contacting your local clinics personally. Check the phone book under "abortion" to find clinics, or try GynPages (online abortion clinic listing).


Troll policy:

All anti-choice posts, comments, trolls, etc. will be summarily deleted/banned, or at least after we've had a good giggle. DUH. Don't even bother. If you want to argue abortion, go to abortiondebate. I check frequently to make sure we're clean of troll comments, but if I miss one, let me know ASAP! (moderator: eyelid.)

Seriously, you know you'll just be banned, so don't make me pull the car over.

Have fun!