NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/talk/abortion/52745

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-22 | 12.5 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!emory!gatech!pitt.edu!sgast
From: [e-mail] (Susan Garvin)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Meet Operation Rescue
Keywords: Wichita, criminals
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:30:27 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Lines: 208



Since Nyikos has chosen to bring up the siege of Wichita, I thought
that some people might be interested in this report from a woman
who had an abortion at Dr. Tiller's clinic.  This excerpt is from
"Speak Out! Magazine" (Pro-Choice Network of Western New Yokr, Inc.,
Summer, 1992), but the full testimony was given before the U.S.
House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on
Crime and Criminal Justice, May 6, 1992.  Certainly it is only
anecdotal evidence, but it is another side of the story.

(It's quite long, sorry.)

"To whom it may concern:

     This was a wanted pregnancy.  I have one beautiful baby girl
that is now 3 1/2 years old.  It took seven years for me to become
pregnant with her.  Within a year's time of her birth, I lost one
pregnancy at 4 months due to no heart beat.  I was given a D&C.  I
became pregnant again 4 months later.  Two months into the pregnancy
I lost the baby naturally.  I was elated to find I was pregnant again
for a third time, in January, 1991.  At approximately 24 1/2 weeks it
was observed through ultrasound that the left side of the fetus'
heart was not formed.  I was sent to a special children's hospital,
where it was confirmed...
     I was informed that the only option I had was to have my baby
at this special hospital...that my baby would not live naturally
and that it would be put on a life support system to await a heart
transplant.  The doctors told me that most children become brain
dead while waiting for a donor...and that all the vital organs
usually fail and they live a life of pain and suffering before they
die.  And when they are hooked up to these machines and during
surgery, that hardly any anesthesia is administered to them...The
probability...that my baby would live through this transplant was
1 in 400, if everything went perfectly.
     Even if everything did go perfectly, my baby would not
survive.  I felt I could be strong enough to have the child and let
God determine its destiny.  This choice was taken away from me when
I was told that I would have no say once the baby was born.
Probably the harsh heart-wrenching reality in this whole tragedy
was that this fetal life form would have its own rights violated in
becoming a 'no-win' experiment...
     I was absolutely devastated.  My options opened to two
choices.  My doctor located a clinic in Kansas that would perform
third trimester terminations for fetal abnormalities.  The other
option was to have this baby at home and feed and care for him
until nature took its course.  Involving other people and the
possibility of complications led me to the first option.
     I had to wait 2 weeks before I could go to Kansas.  Apparently
the clinics agreed to shut down for a week so "Operation Rescue"
(OR) could have their march.  The agreement was that they were to
leave immediately when done.  The clinic's choice to close was for
the safety of their patients and personnel.  I had to travel from
the east coast to Chicago.  There I left my daughter in the care of
her grandparents.  I then drove to Kansas, approximately 12 hours
away.  We arrived at night, exhausted.  While watching the evening
news we discovered that OR was not planning on leaving; very upset
that the clinics had closed down, they decided on a 'summer of
mercy.'  This is when my living nightmare began.  I contacted the
clinic to find where we were to go.  They said hundreds of people
were going to be blocking the clinic and when they figured out what
to do they will let us know.
      About 10:30 the next morning I received word that we had to
sit in our cars outside the clinic in order for the police to
arrest the people blocking our access.  Some people kind enough to
give their time and help volunteered to drive groups of us to the
clinic and wait.  We were made to sit in the car in 109 degree heat
for three days.  During this period approximately 1,600 OR people
were swarming around our cars.  We had to listen to people
violently yelling and screaming offensive, disgusting slurs at us.
The police would come up and tell us that someone wanted to talk to
us and that we had to roll down our windows and listen to what they
had to say.  One was a doctor who said he would see us through the
rest of our pregnancies at no charge and on and on.  Another was a
priest that wanted to save us and he went on and on.  Another was
a leader of OR and he went on and on.  We were subjected to this
over and over again.  People would pound on the cars.  Graphic
poster-size anti-abortion graffiti was disgustingly paraded towards
us and held up to the windows.  On the outside I tried to make the
best of the situation.  Inside I really feared for my life.
     The police parked a bus on the opposite side of the blocked
entrance.  One by one, approximately every 30-50 minutes, they
arrested one of the protestors and walked them on to the bus.  The
speed of the arrests depended on how slow these protestors could
walk to the other side of the street and get on the bus.  When one
person got up, another would sit in their place.  With 1600 people
standing by to jump in, it became very apparent that we might not
get into the clinic at all.  The parents had their small children
run in front of moving cars and lay down.  One parent held his
child while the child resisted and screamed.  I was in the car
approximately four hours now.  It was extremely uncomfortable.  We
were hot, very pregnant, hungry, thirsty, scared, exhausted and I
felt like I was a criminal of the worst kind.
    I was sentenced to this car so the people who were illegally
blocking my legal access to the clinic could be taken away in such
a slow manner.  At least they were outside.  They could breathe
fresh air and move around.  They could go to the bathroom when they
needed to.  I told a policeman that I really needed to go to the
ladies room.  He told me that if I wanted to chance it I could run
to this house that was six car lengths down the street...I opted to
close my window and hope that the urgency would cease by sweating
it away.  Shortly after, the police told us they were taking a
break.  We had to move our cars to the end of the street.  A
trailer had been set up for taking blood pressure and vital signs
of police due to extreme heat conditions.  They suggested that we
step inside to cool off and get a break from all the screaming.
The next time that they had us pull back for a break we were
informed that we were no longer welcome inside the trailer...orders
from the mayor.
     People would not let us alone.  If we wanted to get out to
stretch our legs, we were subject not only to OR but to the media.
That night I walked into my hotel room.  I started to cry and could
not stop.  I kept saying to myself that tomorrow will be the day.
I could not sleep.  I also was concerned about a young couple that
decided to stay by themselves in front of the clinic.  They wanted
to have the arrests continue throughout the night.  It seemed like
a good idea.  Most of the police went home and the arrests made
were few.
    The next morning we were back in front of the clinic.  It was
amazing how peace loving, prayer singing people were available when
the TV cameras were rolling.  Once the cameras were turned off
these people became vicious.  It was the same routine, waiting in
the car and then pulling back for the police break.  Today was
different.  It started to rain.  At one point we were getting
soaked waiting for the break to be over.  Finally a policeman said
that if one carload stayed in front of the clinic the rest of us
could stay inside a school that had been set up for a temporary
station.  We were very grateful.  It was here that we started to
talk.  I listened to three horror stories.  All three girls had
been raped.  One was 11, another 15, and another 19.  Tow were very
brutal.  All three had their lives threatened and family lives
threatened if they told.  One was a family friend, one was incest,
and another was a stranger.  The 19 year old introduced herself to
me via a puppet she held during the ideal.  She seemed to have the
mentality of a 13 year old.  After talking to these girls I felt a
piece of my heart rip away.  They were so horribly violated.  They
had not told anyone of their intentions in fear that their family
would be killed.  They lived for 6 months in fear, scared to death
and unable to get any help.
     The pregnancies were discovered, and with the support of their
parents a decision that was their choice was made.  These girls
were raped mentally by OR...
     [A Pro Choice Action League volunteer] .. asked if I would be
willing to speak with the media concerning why I was there and how
I felt about what was going on.  I said I would if it would open
the gates to the clinic...I went back to the car shielding one of
the young rape victims with my sweater,  One protester grabbed me
and damned me to hell for thinking about killing my grandchild.  I
held the girl tighter in my arms and laughed as I pulled away.  I
thought, how strange.  These people have absolutely no clue.  That
night I went back to the hotel and found myself among friends.  We
talked for quite a few hours...Another sleepless night.  We were
all on alert.  [The clinic] said if we could sneak in at night they
would give us a call.  I was afraid to fall asleep.  I thought I
would never hear the phone ring.
     The third day I got a call from the lady at the Pro Choice
Action League House.  She said that an interview was set for noon.
One of the fathers...was going with me.  I have never been very
good at public speaking.  It makes me physically ill.  I got sick
two times before going on.  I sat next to this man I did not know.
I realized he was trembling as bad as I was.  I remember grabbing
his hand under the table and holding it real tight.
     We went back to the hotel.  I was walking back to the room
when this woman came running towards me.  She was crying
hysterically.  She threw her arms around me and said thank you.
Her daughter was one that was raped.  Word was that Federal
Marshals were called in and they expected us to get in be early
afternoon.  She was convinced that my appearing on TV did it.  I
wish that I could have that much impact.  I told her that I heard
before I went on that they were going to be calling the Federal
Marshals in.  She still gave me another hug.
    At approximately 3:20 that afternoon we went through the gates
to the clinic.  Once inside we were still surrounded by OR people.
Now we were locked inside.  There were bomb threats and the
constant noise from outside made everyone uptight.  The big pane
glass windows did not look like a great deal of protection from all
the people outside.  OR people tried to climb over the safety
fence.
     I have to say that the staff and the doctor of the clinic must
be the most courageous, committed and loving people I have met in
a while.  They treated us all with the utmost respect and kindness.
They will always hold a special place in my heart.
     Thursday afternoon I was weak and very tired.  I walked out of
the clinic supported by the staff.  The car that picked me up was
immediately surrounded by protesters.  A policeman stood there and
did nothing while the driver could only inch forward till the
clinging people let go and we could finally get away.
     Friday I went in about 6:00 am.  Once again protesters blocked
our exit.  The police said that to keep the peace we had to listen
to what they said in order to leave.  They talked about abortion
and went on and on.  I was then allowed out.  I got in the car and
we drove half way back to Chicago.  I just wanted to get as far
away from there as possible.
     I think it is important that you know that I am not pro-
abortion.  I am, however, wholeheartedly pro-choice.  I cannot
stand in judgment of anyone else.  As long as we have a legal right
to choose, our rights -- my rights -- should be guarded. _My
rights were violated._  My constitutional right to free passage in
public property was neglected.  I will not let myself forget what
people are really capable of.  I hope to God that this does not
happen to you or to someone close to you.  I pray that if it does,
this bill will be strong enough to have the police act swiftly to
ensure not only the safety but the privacy of the individual."

                             -Ms. Sylvia Doe


Susan