For the last 3 years or so, I’ve volunteered once or twice a month as a Greeter/Escort at our local Planned Parenthood clinic.

(I recently heard that over 60,000 women have had to cross state lines from Red states to get abortion care over the last year.  We see cars from many surrounding states arriving each week, adding to the stress, expense and time … for healthcare!)

As volunteers, we are responsible for greeting each woman (and often their spouse, companion, and sometimes their children), checking to see if they have an appointment, and walking with them the short distance from their car to the clinic door.  We try to shield them by calmly speaking with them, using colorful umbrellas to block them from the view of protesters just beyond the entrance.

Why do we even have to do this simple act?

The “anti-choice,” “forced birth” preachers use loudspeakers to harass the women.  They use ladders to spy over the fence, shouting shame with Bible verses, prayers and personal questions (literal condescending hypocrisy–judging someone under you).  They stand at the driveway, just over the property line, holding bloody-fetus signs, shouting at any and all: “They Murder Babies here!”  (we’ve been called Nazis).  I’ve seen them shouting this at little children entering with their mothers.  And I’ve seen their own children forced to hold those bloody signs.

Once a month or so, when I’m not on a morning shift, I take a sign and stand out near the protesters.  I don’t argue or debate, but I will have conversations with those who approach me.  One benefit of these conversations is that it distracts them from bothering patients, at least for a short time.

My usual responses to their “witnessing” to me is:

1.  “I used to believe some of what you say, but I don’t now.”
2. “That’s your belief” … “That’s your opinion.”
3. “Shouting at women, harassing them when they have a private medical appointment, is rude and mean spirited.  It certainly isn’t ‘love’.”
4.  “The Bible says nothing about abortion, and neither does Jesus.”

I sometimes speak with “Alice” [not her real name], and her husband, longtime protesters outside the clinic. Recently, arriving with my sign, Alice was anxious to tell me “Chris, we saved a little baby today!  A woman came over to talk to us, and decided to keep her baby!”

I nodded and said, “That’s good.  Glad you can help her.”

Then, I added, “You know Alice, she chose to come to you for help.  That was her free choice and that’s fine.  But it’s the same with all the women who come to the clinic.  They are making a personal, private decision.  That’s their free choice too.”

She and her husband try to bait me into debates about when it’s ok to “kill children” and aren’t I afraid of divine punishment after death.  With my knowledge of the Bible and Religion and years in ministry, I’m not fazed by these things.  The “discussions” are usually circular, when they cite their “authorities” –God and the Bible– and I repeat that I don’t believe in either.

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The other day, I posted photos of two of my signs on Facebook.  As you can see, at this time there were over 1100 comments.

I added to the post, with a reply to the “Murder charges.”  (using a verse from Matthew 5)

I used a phrase I think describes the real intent of the pro-birthers, something that might have been my motivation back in my Evangelical/Pentecostal days:

“Get ’em Born so we can get ’em Born Again.”