Thin Orange Line: They Call Us Deathscorts

[neadods]

I've been keeping an eye on the news that one of the remaining late-term abortion doctors is about to open a clinic somewhere in town. Judging from the articles, he's planning on flying under the radar as much as possible to cut down on the protesters as long as possible.

Here's an article about the gearup to find and "out" him and to harass - I mean "sidewalk counsel" his clients. Oh, and harass - I mean "convert" - the escorts.

Tactics include snapping pictures of any guy who might be the doctor and assume he is, putting his picture on flyers and leaflet bombing his neighborhood. Posing as clients to lie a way into the clinic to get pictures/information on it. All the usual "it's my right to hound anyone we deem guilty... but we'll bat our eyes and look innocent if someone REALLY goes overboard" stuff.

But there is one paragraph that makes me smile:
Ames says that one of the biggest challenges to these "counseling" efforts is the presence of clinic escorts, volunteers who accompany patients into clinics in order to shield them from anti-abortion activists. "That’s a tough one," Ames concedes. "When you have these escorts—we call them 'deathscorts'—it becomes very difficult. We do attempt to convert the deathscorts. I might go up to one and say, 'You’re helping lead these women to the slaughter. What kind of man are you?' You try to appeal to their sense of honor, or if they're a man, their manliness."

I guess the conversion line does explain some of the things that've been said to me. But seriously, how is that supposed to work? I read that and all I can think of is those fake "I used to be an atheist just like you" pitches.

I hadn't planned on taking a shift this weekend, but now I'm starting to be inspired...

Comments

[nonelvis]

“When an infamous late-term abortionist announces his plans to expand into Maryland, people are going to say, ‘not in my hometown,’" Newman says.

Really? 'Cause speaking as someone who grew up in Maryland, I have no problems with Carhart moving into my hometown to provide legal and necessary services -- and I know my parents, who still live there, would feel the same way. Please crawl back under your rock now, Mr. Newman.

Also, what the fuck is this? You try to appeal to their sense of honor, or if they're a man, their manliness.

Manliness? What does manliness have to do with anything here? Or is it that they're trying to make men feel guilty that they're duping poor, dumb women incapable of making their own decisions about their bodies?

These people fill me with so much rage.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I have no problems with Carhart moving into my hometown

Ditto.

What does manliness have to do with anything here?

As far as I can tell based on things said to the guys who escort with me, it's a combination of "you ought to be protecting the little wimmins, not leading them to the abortion mill" and the belief that a guy is so insecure about his manliness that being questioned on it is going to send him fleeing in horror that his dick might fall off. (This could be a much longer post - see James Dobson and his bragging about beating the snot out of a dauchshund for not being properly respectful to his male authority. When you're so damned insecure you've got to thrash a wiener dog, you've got some serious pecker-related paranoia, IMO.)

[nonelvis]

Yeah, I figured it would be the usual sexist bullshit. Obviously women aren't smart or logical enough to make decisions about their bodies, and a man can't feel like a Real Man unless he's taking charge of the wimmenfolk.

see James Dobson and his bragging about beating the snot out of a dauchshund for not being properly respectful to his male authority

I hadn't heard about this before, and now that I've read the excerpts from his book, I wish I still hadn't heard about it. What a loathsome, disgusting excuse for a human being.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

What a loathsome, disgusting excuse for a human being.

I agree entirely, but he's unfortunately one of the really, really famous talibangelical whackaloons and a lot of people think that he's absolutely right.

Which is even more loathsome.