by: 
kirbygirl87
kirbygirl87Friday, February 19, 2010 at 10:20:00 AM EST
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Sometimes I read things and it makes me mad. Today is one of those days. I figured we'd have a couple of Anti-choice articles and blogs, but not 40 Days dedicated to harrassing clinics and women who value their choice. Uh!
According to Feministing, "Today marks the start of "40 Days for Life," a campaign of escalated harassment outside targeted reproductive health clinics. Anti-choice bullies are working to turn out folks at clinics in the US, Canada, Australia, and Northern Ireland."
There is a list of targeted clinics on the "40 Days for Life" website. If a clinic in your area is being targeted and you feel up to taking on this work, please contact your clinic or local clinic escorts to find out the best ways to get involved (I'd recommend Googling the name of the clinic or "clinic escorts" and your city and state), according to Feministing.
According to Change.org, "During previous 40 Days campaigns, Planned Parenthood has mounted a clever countermeasure: "Pledge a Protester." Pro-choice supporters pledge money for every protester counted outside a Planned Parenthood clinic during the forty days in question. Last year's efforts netted over $54,000. I can't find any information regarding a similar effort for the current 40 Days campaign, but I will update you if something turns up.
The "40 Days of Life" Campaign is slated to last from February 17 – March 28
I know this is truly depressing and it hurts, but there is a counter campaign this year that might make you smile.
4000 Years of Choice Campaign to Counteract the "Anti-Choice" Harrassment
Click the picture to check out the other posters and the Website: Designed by Heather Ault:
According to 4000yearsofChoice.com, "Heather Ault is an artist, designer, and activist who is creating visual narratives about the history of abortion and contraception around the world."
4000 Years for Choice visualizes the ancestral traditions passed down for millennia by lineages of mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. The rediscovery of these practices is deeply transformative when one considers “the right to choose”, especially for those who have been exposed to the “abstinence until marriage” and “anti-abortion” rhetoric.Heather plans on sending Postcards with Artwork and inspiring and encouraging messages to all the clinics listed on her website for the 40 days they are being tormented by the "Anti-Choice" groups.
If you can, please visit your local clinic or call to see if there is some sort of volunteer work and help you can provide during these hard times.
My Thoughts...
It always saddens me to hear that people are willing to harass and torment people because they don't share the same beliefs or opinions on a subject matter. Being Pro-Choice does not mean you are pro-abortion, being pro-choice means you believe women are spiritually, emotionally, and physically capable of making their own decisiosn concerning their life and the situations they are given. Hope that everyone smiles today, 'cause someone in the world needs it!
To read more about "40 Days of Life", check out the website here.
To read the Blog on Feministing, click here.
To read the Blog on Change.org, click here.
To check out the website for 4000 Years of Choice, click here.
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(Btw, that [JavaScript] counter was doing something funny to our site's formatting, so I had to take it down...)