As we approached the location, cars lined the streets. Over 100 supporters came out to defend Dr. Carhart and his patients.
The iffy sight as we entered the closed off streets leading to the clinic. Cop cars, cops were everywhere. I don't care what Troy Newman claims. They were there to defend OR's freedom of speech, but to protect the pro-choicers and patients in the event of, oh, I don't know, a bullet, or a Molotov cocktail?
The event was relatively peaceful. We were there to defend the clinic and it's patients. For the most part we stood patiently, not engaging, and got to know each other with our backs to the pro-choicers, turning only to snap pictures and document the scene.
This was the ex-priest who constantly shouted at me and the other clinic defenders. "There she is! There's the woman who slaughters babies!" Or my personal favorite, "God sees what you do, young lady! And he hates it!" God is apparently much like Santa Clause.
A few of the antis. present. These pictures are mostly just my documenting those who were present in the case of an event.
Rosaries were abundant with the Operation Rescue group. I swear I should know the prayers of the Rosary by heart now.
One random anti-choicer, walking around videotaping me and the rest of the clinic defenders.
A couple fabulous women, spending their weekends defending the rights of women.
The view from my side of the fence.
This woman is 72. She claims to have previously been a nurse, but she asked me if I knew what it was like to have my arms and legs torn from their sockets. I'm pretty sure, based on my appearance, that the answer to that question was obvious even to somebody who might have flunked anatomy.
So-dubbed Mr. Potatohead, video-taping the event, and standing on guard, ready to video tape any patients that might arrive.
I don't even know what to make of this guy. If you know his name, or anything about him, get in touch with me. I'd like to do some research.
Mr. Potatohead, videotaping our line of clinic defenders.
I don't remember this guys name but he was an absolutely fantastic supporter, and super friendly! I hope to see more men like him at these events in the future.
A family came to stand outside and stare at the clinic walls. An effective presence. Or at least I'm sure that's what they thought.
CNN was present, along with quite a few other media outlets.
The EX-priest again. We spoke with Dr. Carhart, and he informed us that this man had been kicked out of the church nearly 20 years earlier. From what I know, it takes alot to get kicked out of priesthood. This is also the man who kicked Jen. A girl next to me had placed her sign against the fence briefly while she was taking a break. The priest yelled something then stood up slowly and approached the fence, then kicked the fence to knock over the sign. Thinking this might be good to have captured on film, I told Jen to put her sign against the fence, which she did. I stood with my iPhone ready to document, and as expected he got up and approached the fence. He took hold of the fence right behind where Jen was standing next to the sign and mumbled something about how we were going to rot in hell and how the signs supported sinning, and then went in to kick the sign, catching Jen's leg in the process. Authorities were notified.
Antis.
Another anti.
More women, happy to support forcing women to surrender control of their bodies.
"The tomb of the unborn." I have a feeling this is the guy who's continuously knocking up Jennifer McCoy, the woman pictured later who was convicted of arson for burning down another clinic, though I have no way of verifying that.
The truth truck, and it's worshipers.
A woman testing the boundaries.
At least their was tape over their mouths. Troy Newman should try this tactic.
The man in the orange vest was an anti impersonating a clinic escort.
The EX-Priest, and the kid who was fond of videotaping me.
This is right before he kicked Jen and her sign. i'm surprised there was no mention of the "forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do," line. Nope. Just, "You're going to burn in hell!"
More antis. More cameras.
Some supporters were blogging and creating videos. I tweeted.
These two lovely ladies used to work at clinics. The shorter one said to me before I left, "Just remember. Sex is a dirty, filthy, sinful thing which you are supposed to save for your spouse on your wedding night." They were both amazing.
Clinic defenders enjoying the nice weather, making the best of a crappy situation.
Our line of amazing supporters.
This woman was explaining to what looks like a student reporter how they suck a babies brains out first before preforming the abortion. Pretty sure that's not true.
A man and his baby. I've heard it said that "Once you have a baby, your views on abortion will change." I doubt it. Because once I have a baby, I will have chosen to have a baby. Before that, I will have chosen to take steps to avoid having a baby. Operation Rescue does not support contraception. I do.
Jen, being questioned by the D.O.J. about the incident with the ex-priest.
This is your religious-wrong.
So many men present. Must be nice to have the ability to walk away from a pregnancy without being labeled a murderer.
And a few women.
I have that same hoodie. I'll now have to burn that same hoodie.
Poor Jesus. He looks miserable standing over there with those women.
I took this picture thinking it was one of OR's cult members. Turns out it was a photographer for Omaha.com. I've gotta learn to be a better judge of those wielding cameras.
Troy photographing faces of clinic defenders.
And again. He doesn't let up.
Another student reporter.
Media interviewing a supporter, while an anti videotapes the interview. Antis interfered with pro-choice interviews frequently throughout the day. At one point, while Jen was being interviewed, a woman kept waving a sonogram in front of the camera and the reporter had to ask the woman to leave them alone so he could do his job.
This gentlemen asked us to pose a few minutes earlier, so me and a few other girls struck a pose. I returned with my camera and asked him to return the favor. So he struck a pose.
I'm sure glad that's a camera, and not a gun.
Also got him to strike this pose. He seems proud of that sick display which was later seen parked in an elementary school parking lot.
This woman tried to hide from the camera at first, as many people did. I was persistent and they eventually gave up. I, on the other hand made it a point to have the anti's cameras focused on me rather than the patients arriving at the clinic. That's what I was there for.
I believe this is also the woman who started yelling in a child's voice at an approaching car, "Mommy! Mommy! Help me mommy! Please don't kill me Mommy!"
The nuns. Nobody was sure if they were real. None of us have ever seen nuns wearing pink. But I did a little bit of research and apparently there are certain nuns who do wear pink.
Our line outside the front of the clinic. If you know the name of the tall guy in the brown pants, please let me know. I'd like to get in touch with him.
Claps and the chant of "Welcome. Welcome. This clinic stays open." Was generally all that could be heard from our side.
Supporters at the entrance to the clinic.
The "sidewalk counselor." She would approach cars, or point to the fake clinic around the corner, trying to mislead patients as they approached Dr. Carhart's clinic.
Nobody was sure who this guy was, or which side he was on, so everybody generally avoided him. It was kind of an ominous concept from what we could tell, but he spent 8 hours narrating to himself and his cup of coffee, so we all just assumed he was just nutty.
The mass slew of anti-choicers. Whew. I don't know how we managed to hold them all off.
Sweet words from the side that claims we're all going to rot in Hell.
A couple more fantastic clinic defenders.
Anti.
Anti. This guy gives me the creeps.
An anti and his girlfriend who was very unwilling to be photographed.
I'm pretty relentless.
Clinic escorts helping a patient to her car. Signs were used to shield the faces of clients from the anti-choicer's cameras.
So many of them. My my!
We had fun.
Clinic entrance. It's sad we needed signs like this to help guide patients into the clinic. Anti-choicers were doing everything they can to confuse them and guide them away.
This is Nicki. She's amazing. She's a nurse practitioner who fundraiser so that she could fly out from New York to be here for the clinic defense.
Can you find the anti? This game is a little easier than "Where's Waldo."
Grouping our signs together to protect patient's faces and vehicles from being photographed. Chanting "Welcome. Welcome. This clinic stays open!" to drown out anti-choice cries of hellfire and brimstone.
Troy Newman attempts to photograph a patient, ad is blocked by our signs.
He is also relentless.
She's so right. It's always the woman's fault.
More of Troy's attempts at photographing patients.
If George Clooney was the Devil..... This was right after he told me and Jen, "I do love the 'this clinic stays open' chants. Because, you know, the last time I heard that was at Dr Tiller's abortion mill. Hahaha!"
He thinks that's his middle finger.
The second round of protectors.
The pink penguins. And Jesus, who still looks miserable.
That is one creeepy priest.
That's not what the ex-priest told me.
Trying to start an argument.
Agreed. Pro-lifers SHOULD stop killing.
That's the back of her sign. She was an anti.
Awesome supporters
And you. And you. And you.
OUR Truth Truck. Way better.
They seem so happy to display these pictures.
All the truth trucks lined up. Ours is in the lead.
The scene.
One of Jennifer McCoy's many children.
He sat there clinging that baby every time he saw my camera go up. As though he thought I would never care about a child. It was so sickening.
I feel bad for these poor children. Pawns in their mother's goal to single-handedly repopulate the pro-life movement.
The vagina is not a clown car. FAIL.
She looks about as disgusted as I felt witnessing all of this.
Already looking at us like we're the Devil.
Jennifer McCoy, also known as Jennifer Patterson Sperle, plead guilty to conspiracy to commit arson in 1997. Plot to burn down 2 women's clinics in 1994. Succeeded in burning down at least one of them from what I can gather. Sentenced to 30 months in prison and just short of $1,500 in fees. Oh, justice system. You never fail to fail me.
Awesome!!
Not Awesome.
More antis.
Yes. Listen to the man. Trust women!
"WELCOME. WELCOME. THIS CLINIC STAYS OPEN!"
Chanting.
This guy passed out Oreos, and taught me Oreos are vegan-friendly. Neato.
More fabulous women.
Yes, abortio. I plan on writing a passionate romance about my love affair with the great Latin lover Abortio.
Shouting, "The holocaust was legal! Slavery was legal! Abortion was legal!"
The "SWAT" team standing guard. Kind of a creepy sight. Troy claims it was for the protection of Operation Rescue supporters. But we all know, it's not OUR SIDE that kills people..
One of my favorite signs from the protest!
Another fabulous supporter, taking a break. It was hot out! We all got sunburned!
Everybody wanted to take my picture! :)
This woman asked me if I had an STD. She kept asking how old I was and telling me she was 72 and that I don't know anything about the real world.
Nicholas Heald, 23, from Kansas. Apparently a postal worker who was hanging around Dr. Tiller's clinic around the time Randall Terry came to town.
Troy and his sonogram of the baby that nobody ever really planned to abort, that he claimed to have saved.
"Look at the baby? Why can't you look at this baby? She can't look at the picture of the baby she wanted to kill! Why won't you look at this sonogram! This is a baby we saved from Carharts abortion mill! Look! The mother wanted us to show this to you! She says she prays for you! She even had them put "I love you Mommy!" on the sonogram! She can't even look at a picture of a baby!"
This was a smart little kid.
Government vehicle. Sign says, "Baby-Killers Go Home." Way to steal tactics from racists and anti-Semitics.
He was too shy to interview on camera, but he knew why he was there.
So cute!
:)
RIP Dr. Tiller. A hero to women everywhere.
NARAL South Dakota. There were 17 states represented on our side.
Carhart's clinic. Not the fanciest place from the outside, but I don't blame them. Why bother? I had the privilege of viewing the inside, however, and it was a lovely facility.
Too true. I am a woman, not a womb.
This guy was awesome too. It's soo cool to see men out there supporting women!
Photo courtesy of Troy's OR Website. The baby they claimed to save was likely just a media stunt done with the help of a fake patient.
Awesome illustration.
Protestors. They'd put up a sign that says "Honk for Pro-Life!" and I'd match them with a bigger one that said, "Honk for Pro-Choice!" They'd put up one that said, "Abortion is Murder!" And I'd put up a bigger one that said "Abortion is NOT Murder!"
Her Body. HER CHOICE.
The air show.
Visibility rally down on the street corner after Op. Rescue left.
These guys were anti's.
Mark Geitzen and his Hootchie mama. Mark is known for protesting daily outside of Dr. Tiller's clinic.
Smile nice, dear.
Dr. Carhart is a HERO
The Fake Clinic.
SO cool.
Photo Courtesy of Omaha.com
I look like I'm yelling, but really I'm cheering at a car that just honked for us.
HONK FOR CHOICE!
