Video: Religious Folks Say You're Okay

Faith Aloud, a pro-faith and pro-choice organization in Missouri, has developed a crisp and clear video "for women who have had an abortion." In under two minutes, clergy members affirm a woman's right to choose and pass on a single message: God understands.
Rev. Rebecca Turner, executive director of Faith Aloud, is using new outreach tools to strengthen and heighten the pro-faith pro-choice message. Faith Aloud, located in St. Louis, describes itself as: "people of diverse religious beliefs, denominations, and practices. Our mission is to promote reproductive justice through the moral power of religious and ethical communities."

Despite the fact that faith leaders have long been involved in the pro-choice movement, supporting women's rights to make reproductive decisions well before Roe v. Wade, there is still a public -- and media -- perception that all religious leaders oppose abortion. Faith Aloud knows better: its religious communities support reproductive freedom. It fights against abortion restrictions, engages in public dialogue to support reproductive choice, trains seminary students and educates youth.

The video, posted on a YouTube channel, begins with Rev. Turner, who explains that millions of women around the world and throughout time have had an abortion. "If you are one, please know, God loves you," she says.

"God understands that life is complicated," Rev. Turner says. Later, she urges: "Don't let anyone put you down for having an abortion." By its conclusion, the video then opens up to another nine clergy members (pictured above), who bolster and echo Turner's sentiments.

The video accomplishes several things. First, it validates women who have had abortions as moral decision-makers. Second, it crushes the untrue and widely-held sentiment that all religious leaders oppose abortion. Third, it uses creative tools to take its positive pro-choice message out to the public.

The pro-faith voices are sorely needed in the fight to save reproductive freedom. The vast majority of women who have abortions also describe themselves as members of a religious faith. A distorted picture of religious opinions about abortion merely alienates these women and makes them feel bad. This video goes a long way to putting pro-faith voices into the frame and into the mainstream.

Faith Aloud is also helping individuals to connect the dots between oppressive anti-choice and anti-gay movements. The group notes: "Our struggle for reproductive freedom includes issues concerning: abortion, adoption, choice, LGBTQ rights, Same-sex marriage, reproductive health and their intersections with faith and spirituality."

This innovative outreach is critical to letting the public know that people can be both pro-faith and pro-choice.

Posted by Cindy Cooper
above: screen shot from Faith Aloud video

Taking Our Space: Creativity On The Street

What is the appropriate response to the obnoxious anti-abortion protesters who hound women at abortion and other healthcare clinics?

Clinics, over the years, have used a variety of tactics. Virtually all have security guards and cameras for protection. Many clinics coordinate "escorts" who guide patients into the medical offices and protect them from the ranters. (One escort has been keeping a fascinating blog including mini video clips.) Many clinics have moved to locations that are largely inaccessible for protesters -- up a hill, off the side road of a highway, behind high walls.

Aside from these standard tactics, a lot of clinics prefer to ignore protesters. Some clinics believe that doing more in the way of counter-protests just feeds the egos and self-righteousness of the protesters. So it's not often that creative pro-choice responses emerge.

But one group in Georgia showed how it can be done. Using some imaginative streetwise ideas, Feminist Outlawz, planned and executed some effective and powerful counter-protests at an Atlanta clinic. The Feminist Outlawz describe themselves as "Artful Activists," and it might be easiest to catch them these days on Twitter. Who are they? On this MySpace site and this one, the Feminist Outlawz explain:

"We loosely define feminism as a philosophy which declares ALL forms of oppression wrong and that nurtures a beloved community."

and

"We regularly engage in lobbying, protest/counter protesting, and socially conscious art projects; using our art to create signz, chantz, and rantz, across many mediumz! In addition, we volunteer among other non-profit organizations, offering support with fundraisers and major events. Generally, we strive to encourage the formation of a Beloved Community, in a transient world!"

The Feminist Outlawz -- who are big on the letter Z -- volunteer as clinic escorts, sure. But it's the clinic counter-protests to anti-abortion ranters that piqued my interest when I met Sir Jesse of Decatur, an energetic leader and participant in the group. To counter protesters, Feminist Outlawz came with an advance plan. The protesters like to raise signs with hideous images and shout and people entering the clinic. The Feminist Outlawz designed giant cloth sheets (see pic above) that blocked the protesters signs and also had a message for them -- "STOP TERRORZING CLINICS NOW." Sir Jesse, dressed in religious garb, used a megaphone to drown out the protesters with lectures that stifled their rants.

Sir Jesse described some of the goals of Feminist Outlawz in a speech at a choice rally in 2005: "I stand before you a Transgendered Warrior, an Ally, for a movement that embraces justice and diversity ... yet is under full attack, at the state and national levels."

And although it's not about pushing back the sanctimonious anti-abortion clinic protesters, but snapping the sting of another Religious Right group, you have to love the tactics of the Central Arkansas Pastaforians who met the protest of the homophobic Fred Phelps hate group in full pirate gear. Yes, they appeared at the Phelps protest scene as swashbuckling pirates, and ruined the party. The counter protesters stole the show, wrote the Arkansas Times in a post, 'Way to go, matie.'

Being artful and taking action makes a powerful mix. So 'way to go,' Feminist Outlawz, for the times you've used ingenuity to push back clinic protesters.

Posted by Cindy Cooper

Shown above: abortion counter-protest; picture from Sir Jesse of Decatur

Stories We Hear: The Car Seat

We always hold a discussion with the audience after performances of Words of Choice. Often, during the discussion, or in private after that, we hear stories. So many stories. Almost anyone who talks or writes about this topic or works in a clinic setting will tell you the same.

After Words of Choice performed live on the radio on WBAI (listen via archives until mid-Sept, as explained here), we also received stories.

One, in particular, was especially poignant. Usually the stories are from someone who has had a personal abortion experience. But this was from a woman who was the friend to someone who had an abortion, and it reminds us how many people -- friends, family, parents and children -- were affected by the terrorizing experiences when abortion was illegal.

The writer said I could print the story, although she asked me to change the names and I did. And I've even given it a title ... The Car Seat

The Car Seat

A long time ago when I first moved to New York my roommate, Darlene, became pregnant and begged me to drive her to Staten Island to get an abortion. I was very young and inexperienced, a practicing Catholic and, of course abortions were illegal at the time. I wanted no part of it, but she was so desperate I finally gave in and off we went.

The man who did the abortion was a real physician who performed abortions in his house. It was all so clandestine, like we were in a movie. This is what I remember: Parking the car a few blocks from his house, meeting some man, money changing hands, feeling our way up a back stair case with no lights, a little bedroom at the end of a dark hallway, no anesthesia, me sweating outside the room, her screaming, and then the ride home with her in agony bleeding all over the seat of the car.

I had to find a phone booth in the middle of the night to call her boyfriend who was a doctor at Roosevelt Hospital. He said I couldnit bring her there because he couldn't be connected to the abortion so I had to wait by the phone booth in freezing weather terrified while Darlene was bleeding to death until he called back and told me to take her to St. Vincent's hospital where a doctor would be waiting for her. He told me to drop her at the entrance and then leave.

I never knew exactly what happened after I dropped her off, but she was home the next day and even went to work for a few hours, while I was so upset I called in sick. (We both worked at the same TV studio.)

She never, ever, spoke about the incident. When I asked her what happened after I left her at the ER looked me straight in the eye and said, "What are you talking about? What abortion? What doctor in Staten Island?"

The following weekend I went home to New Jersey. Although I had the seat covered with a blanket, my mother saw the bloodstains and asked me what happened and begged me to tell her if it was me and not Darlene because if it was me who had the abortion she wanted my uncle, who was a doctor, to check me out. I convinced her it wasn't me.

A few weeks later, Darlene left the apartment without a word, leaving me stuck with rent I couldn't afford alone, so I had to give up the apartment and move back home. My mother never mentioned the incident again.

Years later when things changed, I asked my mother if she believed it wasn't me who had the abortion. She said she wasn't sure at first, but then did believe me. She also told me a bunch of hair-raising stories about how terrible things were when she was a young girl and abortions were usually self performed or done by some unskilled person, and that Darlene was "lucky" she not only had a real doctor do it, but was able to get medical assistance afterward.

I hadn't thought about that for a long time until last night when I heard Words of Choice on the radio.

How far we've come. And how terrified I am that the crazies will undo Roe vs Wade.

(I finally fell asleep around six a.m. and, of course, had to get this off my mind, so forgive me.) Again, I commend all of you who are still manning the barricades.

And thanks for sharing the story.

Posted by Cindy Cooper

Radio Archives: The Internet Makes It Possible

Let Reproductive Freedom Ring! That was our message on Live Radio as Words of Choice cast members performed live on New York's WBAI, 99.5 fm on June 29, 2009.

Doing live theatrical performance in a radio studio, seemingly a thing of the past in the U.S., turns out to be a lot of fun. Also, a lot of little adjustments.That's what our Words of Choice cast and director discovered as they prepared for an live studio presentation.

Unlike the olden days, though, the show can be heard by computer via the station website for 90 days (expiring 9/26/09). To listen, to to http://archive.wbai.org/. Then click on SEE ALL SHOWS, and find JOY OF RESISTANCE, JUNE 29, 2009, 9-11 pm. You can follow a theater program posted by Words of Choice, here (scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

The Words of Choice performance was part of a special program by Joy of Resistance: Multicultural Feminist Radio, hosted by Fran Luck and engineered brilliantly by Max Schmid. Cast members Crista Marie Jackson, Claudia Schneider and Carl H. Jaynes (above), under the direction of Francesca Mantani Arkus, were splendid in the studio, and won heaps of praise -- "Lovely work! Congratulations!" "A moving experience." "Excellent --really enjoyed it."

In addition to the live performance of Words of Choice II ("Let Reproductive Freedom Ring"), the show included taped segments from abortion speakouts by Redstockings in 1969, a clip of Dr. George Tiller, and interviews of the cast and Cindy Cooper about their experiences on the road with Words of Choice and the status of choice issues. Marilyn Torres joined in the discussion portion to perform selections from a tour to South Dakota in 2006 when voters were asked to consider a complete ban on abortion and rejected it.

WBAI is a progressive radio station in New York, part of the Pacifica network. The show supported by listeners. Donations may be designated for a particular show.

Posted by Cindy Cooper Pictured above: Cast at WBAI studio, Crista Marie Jackson, Claudia Schneider, Carl H. Jaynes