The fact that planned parenthood buildings literally have special rooms for the employees and patients to go to when a mass shooter comes into the building really does shed light on the hypocrisy of the ‘Pro life’ movement.
Let me tell everyone the story of the one and only time I went to a planned parenthood clinic. There’s really only a few things a man goes into a PP by himself to do. I was there for an STI screening, better safe than sorry right? But from the moment I walked in things seemed weird to me. I’m terrible at picking up on social clues but everyone seemed tense. The woman at the front desk, the woman waiting for her apointment, the nurse who led me into the back for blood samples. Everyone seemed on edge. At first I thought it was me being paranoid, that no, nobody was judging me for getting tested, it was just my mind playing tricks on me.
I followed the nurse into the back. She told me to wait outside a small supply nook while she got what she needed, so I stood there, feeling tense. Then she dropped her clipboard and I, being stupid and dense but ultimately inclined to try and be helpful, stepped forward into the nook to pick it up for her.
She froze, and told me in a steady voice like she was trying to fight back fear that I needed to stay outside the room. I saw her face and and I won’t ever forget the little flicker of fear in her eyes.
Look, I’m a big guy. Almost six four and not hugely muscular or anything but big enough to be intimidating. I’ve learned that people, particularly women, particularly women alone in enclosed spaces with me, get anxious. I’ve learned to make myself as non-threatening as possible, to relax my posture or lean against something away from them. To keep my hands open and visible, to smile but to leave them alone and never make a move that could be interpreted as trying to cut off, say, the exit doors of the elevator or something similar. I’m not perfect at it but I try not to scare people. (And isn’t it a sad fucking commentary on the behavior of so many men that women are afraid enough of me that I need to do this?)
Anyway, I immediately stopped, stepped back, put my hands up in front of me and apologized. It wasn’t until later, when I had already left, elbow bandaged and gauzed, that I realized her fear was more than just the oh-so-common fear women have learned. She thought, maybe for a second, maybe for longer, that I was there to hurt her, and her co-workers. Maybe that I had a gun, or a bomb, or something, I don’t know.
But for a split second, that woman thought that maybe this would be the day someone came in to her place of work and destroyed her life, and the lives of people she cares about.
That split second of fear is the reason I will never support any organization like “operation rescue” or any of the others that claim through false, lying smiles to be “pro life”. Because that’s what they’re all about. Making people: doctors, nurses, receptionists, bystanders, feel fear in the service of their twisted moral crusade.
This is so important
The other point is that even though they feared for their health and safety, they treated this man. They did ask him to leave because he might do something. They treated him and probably saved some stress and pain in his life regardless of what they feared. They allowed him to get the health care he needed even though they were afraid.
How many women have been prevented from getting health care because someone else was afraid that instead of getting her yeast infection cleared up, she was getting an abortion?
Not a peep is spoken about this shit in the gun control debate.
Not a word about Christian terrorism.
