Not merciful to badger women

I was a college student during the summer of 1991, working at the Wichita Women’s Center, when the so-called Summer of Mercy put abortion in the national spotlight once again.

The anti-choice extremists who came to Wichita did not dissuade me from working on behalf of women. Instead, they inspired me to devote myself to women’s issues and reproductive rights.

Two weeks after my mentor George Tiller was assassinated on May 31, 2009, I pledged to reopen his clinic. I remember later that day asking myself, “Are you crazy?” But I soon began raising money, forging alliances and bringing like-minded people together to restore full-spectrum reproductive health care services in Wichita. In 2013, Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center opened at the former home of Tiller’s clinic.

This month, anti-choice groups once again plan to intimidate women and shame them for making a choice that is not only legal but also one that should only be made by them and their families – certainly not by politicians.

These groups are calling their event the “Summer of Justice” to mark the 25th anniversary of the Summer of Mercy. Some have said, “Let’s finish this!” I find that verbiage unsettling and threatening.

There is nothing merciful about badgering women about the choice they’ve made for themselves and their families. There is nothing merciful about trying to keep women from the high-quality health care they deserve and have a legal right to access. There is nothing merciful about questioning whether a woman is equipped to decide for herself if she wants to be a parent.

The women who come to our clinic deserve our respect and compassion. I urge the Wichita community to #ShowSomeMercy July 16-23.

I want to thank the city of Wichita for its commitment to enforcing city ordinances and state and federal laws during the event.

My primary concern during the protests is, of course, the safety of our patients and our staff. We are taking every precaution – at great expense to us. We are grateful to the Wichita Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in ensuring a peaceful event.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Not merciful to badger women."