sunday was a fun day with the family, out picking strawberries on a farm in maryland. we had a snack of fresh strawberries, i made strawberry milkshakes, and i hit the computer late in the evening for ideas for what to do with a fridge full of strawberries.
but as soon as it turned on, tears began to fill my eyes as i learned of doctor george tiller's murder. not because of any family connection, but of my willingness to help out a scared friend almost 20 years ago.
when i moved to wichita, kansas, in the late 1980s, i think the first thing i learned was that the air raid sirens do not announce air raids (they blast when there is a tornado warning). the second thing i learned was that the military-style compound on kellogg (US 54) was not a fort, but was the office of the local abortion doctor.
it wasn't long before the "summer of mercy" brought thousands of protesters, but they never bothered me, a college student of limited means spending my summer days rebuilding and expanding a k-mart ("kame-apart") on the east side of town. but i'd still see them if i had to drive across town, and they'd occasionally descend on the parks or malls for rallies. my friends and i quickly picked up the nickname "randall terrorist" to describe operation rescue's leader, long before that term became so emotionally charged for ordinary americans.
but i learned a lot more about the clinic the next year.
one evening up at KU, a friend called me for a favor. she and her boyfriend had made a stupid mistake, she got pregnant, and her boyfriend didn't want to take any responsibility for it. all she wanted was a ride down to wichita, and a ride back. she couldn't drive by herself; it's a medical procedure and they won't let you leave without a ride. but it wasn't the type of thing she could ask anybody, and her only other alternative was her father who lived just outside of wichita. she wasn't afraid he'd beat her or anything, but it would be embarrassing.
i don't remember anything of the drive down, but that's not surprising - there is nothing memorable between lawrence and wichita, kansas. as soon as we got to the clinic, we confirmed her appointment with the guards, who checked the car for weapons before letting us into the compound.
now, i had often heard anti-choice people claim that abortion doctors don't tell their patients what goes on in an abortion, don't offer choices, and don't offer counseling, but it instantly became clear to me that none of those people had ever been inside a clinic. inside, there is no shortage of:
* Clear medical information on what an abortion is, what it does to the woman's body, and what it does to the baby;
* Counseling on site, as well as contact information for outside counseling;
* Lots of pamphlets, posters, and forms for considering offering the baby for adoption as an alternative; and
* Staff who are willing to talk to the women and families there, and who volunteer the same information on the walls and in pamphlets on alternatives to abortion.
i make the point of saying "baby" because even though the medical term is "fetus," doctor tiller's clinic made sure that every patient knew what they were doing in human terms, not just medical.
my friend was not the only one with an appointment that day. i remember at least three other women there that day. one, i think, was older, with a sister or other female friend with her. the other two were young white women, typical midwesterners, with their young boyfriends or husbands. it was easy to tell how scared they were, and not hard to imagine why.
before long, it was my friend's turn. we went into the consultation room together, where the nurse explained the procedure in terms, and with pictures, that left nothing to the imagination. after that, she went by herself (i might have been asked if i wanted to be there for the operation, but i'm pretty sure my friend said no). i think i spent the waiting time doing homework, and before long it was time to go. my friend was a little weak, but otherwise no different than before - perhaps just relieved that it was over. i think she slept for the entire trip back to KU. we never spoke of it again.
doctor tiller gave people like my friend the option of continuing with school, instead of dropping out to tend to a baby they didn't want from a man they didn't like. that choice was even more important to older women like the one who seemed to be afraid that she couldn't bear a healthy baby, to younger couples who couldn't afford a baby or who couldn't let their families know.