[Content Note: Misogyny.]
Wendy Sachs at CNN: Working women, know your value.
The privilege in this piece is off the charts, right from its opening paragraph in which Sachs compares herself to a sex worker, and its definition of "working women" clearly meaning women in what are commonly (and otheringly) referred to as "professional" jobs, thus writing out of the phrase "working women" every woman who works (professionally, ahem) in service professions—retail, food service, cleaning, etc.
(There is also an enormous amount of privilege underwriting the belief that we all earn what we "deserve" in the first place.)
But even if there had been some effort to clearly define the specific (privileged, disproportionately white) women about whom this article is actually speaking, this discussion is incomplete, to put it mildly, without meaningful exploration of the culture that greets "working women" who "work hard and go after what you deserve" with rank hostility.
Sometimes that hostility is passive. Many years ago, I started work at a firm as a receptionist. In six years, I was promoted five times, and by the end of my time there, I was running a department and had a private office a long way from the receptionist desk. My salary increases had not, however, kept up with the pace of my advancement within the company.
When I asked to be paid a salary commensurate with my position, providing information about industry standards in our region for the same position (nearly twice what I was making), I was met with indignation: "Your salary has doubled since you started!"
Which was accurate. My salary was indeed twice what I had made as a receptionist, with no other job responsibilities besides answering the phone and getting coffee. But, after years of working 13-hour days proving my mettle and after multiple promotions, asking for the salary they would have to pay anyone they hired externally to fill my position was considered uppity, demanding, and unreasonable.
This is a common problem for a lot of women in corporate work, because female college graduates are more likely to be hired into entry-level administrative positions (precisely as I was) than male college graduates, who are more likely to be hired into entry-level "professional" positions.
Sometimes that hostility is aggressive. Here is an example of a comment left in this space during last month's fundraising reminder: "Greedy cunt! Will you ever stop guilting your readers into sending you the moonies? Probably not, because you are a gaping vagina!"
That comment, and many others like it, are deemed an acceptable response to a woman asking to be paid for full-time work. I don't even put a specific value on my work by charging a minimum subscription to every visitor; I merely assert that my work has value. And I am called a greedy cunt for it.
So, too, the countless other women who are routinely expected to provide free labor in a variety of industries, from creative work to child- and elder care.
Sometimes that hostility is vindictive. I have never been fired, or threatened to be fired, for asking to be paid what I'm worth, but I have been privy to executive conversations at former places of employment in which women (and only women) were targeted for termination because they were perceived as "too pushy" (or whatever variation thereof) about their salaries, their benefits, flex-time, family leave, etc.
Irrespective of whether they were entitled to these things by law.
Many "working women"—and the less powerful the position, the more vulnerable the woman holding it—are keenly aware that being perceived as "too pushy" may result in professional marginalization or even termination.
It's colossally unfair to elide the careful threading of that needle most "working women" have to do, in order to blame all of us for simply being too meek to correctly value ourselves and demand we are compensated accordingly.
This is so the worst thing you're going to read all day.
Yep
After watering down financial reform, ex-Senator Scott Brown joins Goldman Sachs' lobbying firm. Sounds about right.
See also.
It's a great day for Congressional welfare! Bootstraps for everyone!
Bloomberg's Soda Ban Halted by Judge
[Content Note: Fat bias; eliminationism. Background: Blame the Fatties; Today in Fatties Ruin It for Everyone.]
New York City Mayor and "Anti-Obesity Crusader" Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on sugary drinks in sizes greater than 16 oz at restaurants, street carts, and movie theaters has been struck down by a judge one day before it was supposed to take effect:
In an unusually critical opinion, Justice Milton A. Tingling Jr. of State Supreme Court in Manhattan called the limits "arbitrary and capricious," echoing the complaints of city business owners and consumers who had deemed the rules unworkable and unenforceable, with confusing loopholes and voluminous exemptions.It gives me no joy that it was corporate pressure, rather than respect for fat people's agency, that resulted in this ruling, but I'm nonetheless glad for the ruling, which subverts the execution of a campaign that centers fat hatred.
...The mayor's plan, which he pitched as a novel effort to combat obesity, aroused worldwide curiosity and debate — and the ire of the American soft-drink industry, which undertook a multimillion-dollar campaign to block it, flying banners from airplanes over Coney Island, plastering subway stations with advertisements and filing the lawsuit that led to the ruling.
As with all of these campaigns, lest anyone imagine I am seeing fat hatred in a "health initiative" where none exists:
Mr. Bloomberg said he would immediately appeal, and at a quickly arranged news conference, he fiercely defended the rationale for the rules...Actually, there is a lot of question about that. People do not die of "obesity." Some fat people die from complications of what are commonly known as "obesity-related diseases," like heart disease and diabetes, but those diseases have only been shown to be correlated with fat, not caused by fat. (Which is why thin people have them, too.) So it's not even accurate to assert that obesity kills indirectly.
"I've got to defend my children, and yours, and do what's right to save lives," the mayor said. "Obesity kills. There's no question it kills."
This, however, is a thing that is accurate to say: Fat hatred kills people all the time.
One of the most widely linked comments I have ever left in this space is this one, in response to a commenter who took issue with the idea that fat people are an endangered population.
No, there is not a documented epidemic of brutal murders of fat people for being fat, but there is a documented epidemic of failure to provide life-saving healthcare: Google will easily help you find stories of fat people who died while emergency crews laughed at their weight and appearance, of fat people who were told they should lose weight to fix problems actually caused by blood clots, cancer, internal injuries, infections, and myriad other problems that later killed them, because their doctors couldn't see past their fat to properly treat them. Google will also easily help you find stories of medical equipment that cannot accommodate fat bodies, of anesthetists who accidentally kill fat people in surgery, of doctors who prescribe wrong doses for fat bodies, of drug trials that make no attempt to include fat patients. Google will also easily help you find stories of fat people who did not seek life-saving healthcare because they had been so viciously fat-shamed by doctors their whole lives that they had given up hope of finding sensitive and caring providers who would treat them.The blog First Do No Harm is an invaluable resource in its documentation of fat prejudice in healthcare. (See also. And here. Also over here. Etc.)
Obesity doesn't kill, but fat hatred does.
Additionally: "A 2013 study reported in the Journal of Eating Disorders documented that weight bias and stigma cause both physiological and psychological harm."
Internalized weight bias was associated with greater impairment in both the physical and mental domains of health-related quality of life. Internalized weight bias also contributed significantly to the variance in physical and mental health impairment over and above the contributions of BMI, age, and medical comorbidity. Consistent with the association between prejudice and physical health in other minority groups, these findings suggest a link between the effects of internalized weight-based discrimination and physical health. Research is needed on strategies to prevent weight bias and its internalization on both a societal and individual level.Would that Mayor Bloomberg were half as concerned about the harm he and his fellow "anti-obesity" crusaders are doing to fat people's health.
I can (and do) choose not to drink sugary soda. I cannot, however, choose a life that is free from other people's public, shaming, harmful, bullying, dehumanizing, eliminationist fat hatred.
If you don't care at least as much about that as whether I drink a fucking soda, you're not interested in my health. And I'm not going to humor that sanctimonious codswallop anymore.
Question of the Day
Would you rather have to eat your favorite food at least once a day for the rest of your life, or never be able to eat it again?
Photo of the Day
[Click to embiggen.]
From the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day for 11 March 2013: Photographer Steve Nilsen couldn't help having fun when he witnessed an impressive moon halo in Aspenes in northern Norway. He grabbed his torch and made it appear as if he was create the phenomenon. [Steve Nilsen / Rex Features]Love.
Monday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by noisy bluejays.
Recommended Reading:
Grace and Jess: Let's Talk About Names
Ana: Deconstruction: Names and Society
Trudy: Stop Calling Women Liars When They Write About Experiencing Trauma [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of harassment, sexual violence, victim-blaming, and silencing.]
Anisha: Why Does America Pretend It Doesn't Hate Women [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of sexual violence, racism, and othering.]
Fannie: MMA Fighter Forced to Reveal She's Transgender
Ragen: Does It Count If They Kill Me? [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of fat bias and medical malfeasance.]
Sikivu: Ida B. Wells, Feminist Public Menace [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of racism, misogyny, and violence.]
Angus: Harvard Hacks Faculty Emails Looking for Leakers in Cheating Scandal
Angry Asian Man: Read These Blogs
And the first episode of Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs Women in Video Games project is up! Check it out at Feminist Frequency!
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Daily Dose of Cute
This is a dog who knows how to relax.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In The News
Deeky is delivering his keynote address at the Butt Convention at the Stethoscope Institute, so you're stuck with me today...
[Content Note: Domestic violence, homophobia, gun violence; self-harm/murder.]
As previously discussed here at Shakesville, Sir Patrick Stewart is an outspoken advocate against domestic violence. (Also as previously noted, his advocacy in particular is Very Meaningful at Shakes Manor, for Reasons.) Anyway: Stewart has issued a call to action inviting men to participate in ending violence against women.
It looks like Ashley Judd is definitely going to run for US Senate against Mitch McConnell. Neat!
James Franco says he's been dumped from ad campaigns for producing gay-themed films. That is some real homophobic bullshit, right there. Also: I saw The Great and Powerful Oz this weekend, and that load of misogynistic hooey is an actual reason to get angry. Unlike gay-positive film.
The host of the Sportsman Channel's A Rifleman’s Journal was shot and killed by the jealous husband of a female coworker. At the link, Annie-Rose sagely observes: "The episode is a tragic reminder that even responsible gun owners can find themselves at the mercy of an [intemperate] gunman, and that National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre's claim that, 'the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun' doesn't always hold up."
One of the suspects in the recently widely-publicized India gang rape case was found dead in jail cell this morning. Police say it was a suicide; the man's family say it was murder.
North Korea has declared that the armistice agreement which ended the Korean War in 1953 is invalid. Uh-oh! That does not sound good.
Great news for all you DumbandDumberHeads out there: Jim Carrey is ON BOARD for the sequel! Presumably until he's not on board again.
Discussion Thread: Your Local Wildlife
What's the local wildlife (fauna, specifically) like where you live? Do you do any bird-watching, or any other kind of creature-gazing?
I love watching all the birds out my office window. We've got an amazing variety of local birds: Eagles, hawks, crows, jays, cardinals, robins, sparrows, finches, just to name a few, and tons of seagulls, because we live a few minutes from the shore of Lake Michigan.
What we don't have is pigeons. I realize I'm in the minority on this one, but I've always loved pigeons, and I miss them from when I lived in Chicago and they were everywhere.
We've also got all kinds of little furry creatures who run about: Squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, possums, chipmunks, mice, moles, etc. And an assortment of toads, frogs, and friendly snakes.
And TONS of deer. We had deer tracks in our front yard the other day, and we regularly pass family groups when we walk the dogs in the woods about five minutes away from our house. Because of the deer overpopulation, we're starting to get coyotes and wolves back in the area, and there have even been sightings of mountain lions!
With what animals do you share a habitat?
The Walking Thread
"Let us drink whiskey and talk in riddles."
(Spoilers are lurching around undeadly herein. CN: Violence; racism; misogyny; rape culture.)
Previously on The Walking Dead: Clues to what will happen in this episode of The Walking Dead! Can you guess what things will happen in this episode, based on the scenes just shown to you? Unless your brains have been zombified, I BET YOU CAN!
Hey, you know what my favorite part of this episode was? By which I mean the part I hated the most because it is the worst and this show is terrible? The part where the entire episode came down to two straight white men who are the respective patriarchs of their clans of garbage monsters treating a black woman like a pawn in their game of Who's Got the Bigger Messiah Complex. GROSS! This fucking show! Ugh!
At this point, I'm just hoping Michonne gets her hands on a nuke and rides it Major Kong style right into the heart of Georgia.
Anyway.
When we pick up at the beginning of the episode with our competing factions in what is apparently the only five square miles left on the planet, Grimes, with Hershel and Daryl in tow, is taking a meeting with Governor Cyclops in a barn, which has been set up as a cool conference room that suffers from the noticeable lack of a Keurig machine.
Governor Cyclops is already awaiting them at UN Barn when they arrive, because he is a passive-aggressive negotiator in addition to being an aggressive-aggressive garbage nightmare. "We have a lot to talk about," Cy tells Grimes, and if this were any other show, I'd be settling in with some popcorn to watch the fireworks, but because this is The Walking Dead, I get a can of diet Code Red to make sure I can stay awake.
Cy removes his weapon as a sign he wants to "negotiate in good faith," then tells Grimes, "Now you," and, in a rare moment of sagacity, Grimes does not put down his gun. But in a typical moment of patented Grimes stupidity, he does not immediately kill Cy, who sits down at the barn desk which has a hidden weapon. Grimes' calculation makes PERFECT SENSE, as usual. It's definitely fine to leave to die a backpacker who has shown you no ill will, but whatever you do, don't kill the guy who is trying to murder the fuck out of everyone you know and care about, and, by the way—is a fucking rapey scoundrel. Definitely give that fucker the benefit of the doubt!
Andrea shows up to UN Barn and is surprised to see that Cy is already there, because of course she set up this meeting because she's the Hillary Clinton of this operation. Yes, what a shocker that Governor Cyclops hasn't been honest with you, Andrea! How out of character for the worst person left on the planet! Andrea tells all the dudes to "save the bullets for the real threat!" and I'm like boredom? terrible writing? cavernous inconsistencies in character development? I need bullets for ALL THESE THINGS.
Grimes proposes a solution delineating boundaries so Grimes Gang and Unpleasantville can coexist, and Cy, who is an excellent negotiator definitely operating in good faith, says he will only accept surrender. This guy would be great in the Shark Tank. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wonderful, but I will only accept a ONE BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT for two percent of my glam eyepatch company." Then they kick Andrea out, because women.
Daryl, who I notice has the same haircut I do, stands watch outside with Hershel and Cy's two minions: Melvin Nerdly and Token Latino, who is apparently named Martinez. Some zombies show up right on cue, and while Daryl and Martinez argue about who should "go first" to kill them, Andrea strides past and stabs a zombie in the face. Martinez calls Daryl a "pussy," without a trace of irony.
Then Daryl and Martinez team up to kill some zombies, after which they have a neat talk about their backgrounds. On the other side of the barn, Hershel and Melvin Nerdly are also chit-chatting away the time. Melvin Nerdly asks Hershel if he can see his stump, and Hershel says, "I just met you! At least buy me a drink first!" and much laughter ensues. This is all some All Quiet on the Western Front Christmas Day football game shit, y'all. They're not so different after all!
Meanwhile, back at Grimes Jail, Grimes Gang readies their arsenal and Merle tries to leave to go kill Governor Cyclops. Carl the Hat informs Merle: "My dad can take care of himself!" Which is true. Grimes can just barely take care of himself. And he definitely cannot take care of his adolescent son nor his infant daughter, who are respectively turning into a sociopath and a feral child. Merle tells Carl the Hat that his dad's head "will be on a pike real soon." HA HA MERLE IS THE BEST BABYSITTER!
Eventually, Merle tries to leave with a bunch of guns in a cool duffel bag, and when Glenn tries to stop him, Merle rasp-snarls at him: "The Governor feels up your woman and you pussy out?" Great dialogue. This show is terrific. They start punching each other, forcing Blonde Sister to shoot a gun in the air to make them stop. Save the bullets for the real threat, Blonde Sister!
Back at UN Barn, Grimes and Cy are having a great conversation about so many things. They drink whiskey and there is a ton of ACTING! Look at all the ACTING! So much ACTING! Grimes looks confused and nauseous. ACTING! Governor Cyclops speaks in riddles and smiles toothily a lot. ACTING! I am literally laughing out loud. Is this show a comedy? This show is definitely a comedy.
Outside, Hershel talks to Andrea and she confesses to him, "I don't know what I'm doing here." That makes two of us, Andrea! She asks Hershel what Cy did to Maggie, and Hershel tells her that Governor Cyclops is a sick man. No doy. Hershel tells Andrea she should join up with them again. "I mean, sure, Grimes has visions of his dead wife, and he is a terrible leader, and he is very sweaty, but at least he doesn't keep zombie heads in an aquarium, so there's that." Lesser of two whatthefuuuuuuucks.
Cy tells Grimes if they go to war, the fight will go down "to the last man." Emphasis on man. He then tells Grimes there is a way to end it: He shows Grimes his grody eye, care of Michonne's badassery, and tells Grimes that if he hands over Michonne, Unplesantville will leave Grimes Gang in peace. LIKELY STORY! "Is one woman worth all those lives?" Cy asks, and I barf one hundred times.
Speaking of Michonne, back at Grimes Jail, Merle tries to talk her into ambushing Cy at UN Barn, but she tells him he's on his own. It kinda seems like they are totes becoming BFFs, despite Merle having tried to murder her and being a white supremacist fuckhead. What a great story arc! I hope they fall in love!
Speaking of love, Maggie visits Glenn who's doing some zombie-gazing, and it is very awkward! But then Glenn says, "When we got back from Woodbury, I made it all about me, and you needed your space and I didn't give you that." And Maggie tells him, "I didn't need space from you. I just wanted you to see me." Then Maggie tells Glenn she misses him, even though they're always together, and Glenn says he's sorry and he loves her, and then they do it. Aww.
Back at UN Barn, Grimes tells Cy that killing Michonne for vengeance is beneath him and we all LOL BECAUSE NO IT'S NOT. That's pretty much right in Governor Cyclops' wheelhouse, Grimes, and good job as usual paying attention! Cy tells Grimes he's risking his children's lives and that he's got two days to think about it. Then Governor Cyclops hands Grimes a note that says, "If you want to hand over Michonne and do not want me to kill you, check this box: □" with instructions to pass it to Andrea in study hall once he makes up his mind.
Grimes has a brief moment of clarity and tells Cy he knows that handing over Michonne won't keep them safe. "We're going to war." I'm sure that will be very exciting 100 episodes from now. Or in the last 15 minutes of this interminable season. Whichever way they decide to play it.
The minions return to their respective communities with their respective garbage leaders, including Andrea. Back at Unpleasantville, Cy informs Melvin Nerdly that he intends to slaughter Grimes Gang no matter what. Gee, what a shocking reversal yawwwwwwwn. Melvin Nerdly looks hella unhappy about it. This guy. Get it together, Nerdly! You are working for a despot! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE POCKET PROTECTORS!
Back at Grimes Jail, Grimes tells everyone what happened, leaving out the Michonne part. Then he takes Hershel aside and tells him about the Michonne part, and explains he didn't tell the whole group because he wants them to be scared. WHUT. Shut up. His moment of clarity passed, he wonders out loud to Hershel if maybe he should hand over Michonne, and Hershel reminds him of all the kickass shit Michonne has done for them. "She's earned her place."
To which Grimes responds by asking Hershel if he's ready to sacrifice his daughters' lives for Michonne's, thus employing the same rhetorical THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN strategy as Governor Cyclops, whom he is no better than! They are the same horrendo nightmares in slightly different horrendo packaging! He tells Hershel he wants to be talked out of it. Jesus Jones. This show.
Over the last part of the episode, some song I don't know plays over the readying for war at Unpleasantville and Grimes Deep. It reminds me of the Tangerine Dream score for Risky Business, which is probably not what they were going for, but now I am picturing Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay having sex on the Chicago Elevated Train, and about how there is no way in hell I'd ever get my snatch out on the El. The end.
Quote of the Day
"I think in any organization where women are not at the table, where it is skewed male in today's day and age, that's an organization that's deficient. That's an organization that's going to have problems. It's one of the problems we have structurally in the Republican Party. We don't have enough women at the table. But any company, any organization in today's day and age that doesn't give equal opportunity to women, that doesn't advance women to the table, is going to be an organization that has difficulty competing."—Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, on Meet the Press yesterday.
That is a good thing to say! However, this is, of course, not just a problem of institutional structure. It is a problem of systemic marginalization by way of entrenched misogyny, whether that's obstinately pervasive harassment of women in Corporate America or advocating policies that are deeply hostile to women's agency and consent in the Republican Party.
It's also an issue that is not solved by tokenism. Schmidt, of course, was the brains [sic] behind nominating Sarah Palin to the vice-presidency. It does fuck-all for the objective of meaningful inclusion for women to champion women who are keen to play the role of Exceptional Woman while expressing contempt for the very principles of inclusion that created opportunities for them.
Of course, the GOP is busily driving women like Senator Olympia Snowe out of the party.
Heroes and Terrorists, Again
[Content Note: Racism; rape culture; terrorism.]
Last night, via Josh Marshall, I read that Zerlina Maxwell, whose work appears at Feministing, among other places, had done a segment on Fox News with Sean Hannity in which she identified herself as a survivor of sexual violence and made the eminently reasonable point, in response to the assertion that women should carry guns for rape prevention:
I think that the entire conversation is wrong. I don't want anybody to be telling women anything. I don't want men to be telling me what to wear and how to act, not to drink. And I don't, honestly, want you to tell me that I needed a gun in order to prevent my rape. In my case, don't tell me if I'd only had a gun, I wouldn't have been raped. Don't put it on me to prevent the rape.What followed was an onslaught of racist tweets and comments hoping Zerlina would be raped and/or killed. Josh has examples provided by Zerlina at the link.
I don't know what I can say about this contemptible garbage that I haven't already said a million times, but here are a couple of observations:
1. Zerlina Maxwell is a brave and effective anti-rape advocate. I am a survivor, and she spoke for me in this segment. I stand in solidarity with her.
2. I have, since first reading about the attacks on her, seen some shock/surprise at the vitriolic response to basic anti-rape advocacy. To be shocked/surprised by this kind of response, whether it's racism directed at a woman of color doing public advocacy and/or violent threats directed at an anti-rape advocate, is a luxury of privilege. This happens all the time. This is a regular part of my job. I certainly do not want to speak for Zerlina, but I imagine this is not the first time she has been on the receiving end of a metric fuckton of hateful shit simply for standing on that line in between survivors and rapists. We all need to be aware that this is a thing that happens all the time, because it's a silencing strategy that is used to protect the rape culture.
3. This isn't "just how the internet is." We know that is not the case. Better spaces can be built. We also know that the internet is not separate from but a reflection of culture, and to imagine that racism does not happen to women of color and/or violent threats don't happen to anti-rape advocates offline is also a luxury of privilege.
4. The people harassing Zerlina are not doing this because they're "crazy." They are maliciously indecent people who consciously choose to terrorize someone as a response to her having said something they don't like.
5. I hate with the fiery passion of ten thousand suns that Zerlina, or anyone, is ever subjected to the violent disgorgements of these human nightmares. I can't even convey the depth of my gratitude to anyone who stands on that line, knowing this is a likelihood.
If you would like to tweet your support at Zerlina, she's on Twitter at @ZerlinaMaxwell.
National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers
[Content Note: Violence]
Today, March 10th, is National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. It was named such following the assassination of Dr. David Gunn in 1993.
Dr. Gunn was murdered in 1993.
In 1993, Dr. Tiller was shot but not killed.
In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and his escort, James H. Barrett, were assassinated.
In 1994, Dr. Garson Romalis was shot but not killed.
In 1995, Dr. Hugh Short was shot and killed.
In 1997, Dr. Jack Fainman was shot but not killed, the shooter was a suspect in an unnamed NY physician's murder
In 1998, Dr. Barnett Slepian is shot and killed. His murderer, James Koop, was the suspect in 1997's shooting of Dr. Fainman and the other unnamed doctor.
In 2009, Dr. Tiller was shot, again, and killed.
In 1994, Shannon Lowney and Leanne Nichols were shot and killed at clinics in MA.
In 1998, Officer Robert Sanderson was killed during a clinic bombing and nurse Emily Lyon was severely injured.
Assassination and attempted murder are only two of the dangers doctors and others who work at clinics that provide abortion services. They also face arson and bombing, butyric acid attacks, and anthrax attacks. And: harassment, intimidation, hate mail, and stalking.
The National Abortion Federation has kept a record of violence (.pdf). From 1977 to 2011, there have been:
218 arsons and bombings
99 attempted arson or bombing
656 bomb threats
191 incidents of assault and battery
420 death threats
4 kidnappings
15,062 incidents of hate mail or hate phone calls
There are several more categories. NAF also notes:
All numbers represent incidents reported to or obtained by NAF. Actual incidents are likely much higher. Tabulation of trespassing began in 1999 and tabulation of email harassment and hoax devices began in 2002.These stats only go to 2011. If you recall last year in 2012: a Pensacola, FL, clinic was burned down, a Wisconsin clinic was attacked with homemade bomb, two clinics in Georgia were set on fire, a clinic in Louisiana was set ablaze. Those are "just" the fires.
1. Incidents recorded are those classified as such by the appropriate law enforcement agency. Incidents that were ruled inconclusive or accidental are not included.
2. Stalking is defined as the persistent following, threatening, and harassing of an abortion provider, staff member, or patient away from the clinic. Tabulation of stalking incidents began in 1993.
3. The "number of arrests" represents the total number of arrests, not the total number of persons arrested. Many blockaders are arrested multiple times.
So, it finally happened. After almost a decade in abortion care, I finally received hate mail sent directly to my home. It was shocking and a terrible invasion of my privacy and it made my mother and grandmother cry. I am more angry about that than I am anything else. Because, like most abortion providers, I know that the life I’ve chosen– to provide LEGAL medical care– comes with the threat of harassment.(Jen, of The Women's Centers)
But here’s the thing. I shouldn’t (and my colleagues shouldn’t) have to accept harassment, intimidation or threats because of the work that we do. My family, husband and friends shouldn’t have to accept that worrying about my safety every day is normal. I shouldn’t have to explain that they don’t need to worry too much because the clinic already has protocols in place to deal with this type of thing– we have F.B.I. contacts and police contacts and know what to do. I should not have to minimize my experience because other friends and colleagues in abortion care experience worse harassment. I should not have to listen to my grandmother cry because the work that I do puts me in danger. The work that I do should not put me in harm’s way. I provide medical care. I don’t work as a police officer or fire fighter or on an oil rig where danger is part of the job. I work in medicine.
[...]
I don’t know how long it will take before I stop being nervous when I check my mail. I don’t know how long it will be before I stop worrying that when I drive up to my house it might be vandalized. I do know that I will not stop working in abortion care. I do know that I will continue to push back against the stigma around abortion care by talking publicly about my experiences. And I do know now that my neighbors have my back and are supportive regardless of how they feel personally about abortion. And that my friends and family will do anything to keep me safe– even send me links to video surveillance services and offer to stand guard outside my house.
There aren't many careers that would require someone to deal with sometimes constant threats, harassment, and violence. And deal with having the job itself being constantly under attack because of government intrusion and asshattery.
There are very few careers in which one must face things like this (from Jan 2012):
Operation Rescue, an extremist anti-abortion group, has launched a website - abortiondocs.org - which lists the photographs and addresses of abortion providers, as well as maps to find their places of business. The website, which describes itself as the "largest collection of documents on America's abortion cartel," aims to list every abortion provider in the country.Often at risk to themselves, abortion providers--the doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives, nurses, medical assistants, office support staff, escorts & volunteers--protect the lives and health of people by providing them with necessary medical care.
To everyone who does walk that path:
THANK YOU.
