I am Pro Choice

I just had an amazing and scary experience, and it is a long story; I am Pro Choice, always have been. Over a year ago I moved to an apartment that is basically across the street from Planned Parenthood. I believe in the right to protest and I have seen many peaceful groups singing, praying, or just standing in silence together with their rosaries and their handmade signs and/or nice pictures of Jesus. I once had a very great discussion with a Catholic Priest about why him and his group were Pro Life. We agreed to disagree of course, but at all times we respected each other during the conversation. This has happened on a few other occasions. Today was a WAY different experience.

There was a man, all by himself, holding a heavy, framed picture of what was a depiction of Jesus' beaten face after he had died on the cross, graphic, and not the peaceful pictures I usually see, and this really bothered me, I have been a non denominational Christian for about fourteen years, and even so, it was picture of graphic violence that I found disturbing. I approached him and asked him, "Why are you holding such a horrible picture of Jesus in your hands? Why don't you just leave." His response you may not believe, but he replied, "Ahhh, why don't you just go in there and kill your baby already. That is what you came here to do right?" (No, I am not pregnant). This lead us into a discussion about the King James Version Bible, which I am heavily versed in, and then after he was losing that battle he then said I was disgusting for having a tongue ring and more insults. I never insulted him personally, not even once, I only attacked his idiotic beliefs.

He kept slowly inching closer and closer to me, I told him not to step any closer and to stay an arms length away, he said he didn't have to, and then shoved his foot into my boot and said I was standing on his foot (I wasn't). I then started to yell, "GO! GO! GO!" for about 5 minutes until Planned Parenthood security came. He didn't know what to do, this whole thing lasted about an hour and then Sergeant O'Neil from D-14 police showed up.

Now, Sergeant O'Neill has a biased against me. My best friend and health care proxy won a lawsuit against her in Supreme Court, after she appealed THREE times and lost. She showed up, we looked at each other and I said, "No, not you." She looked at me for a second and then said "[His Name]", and called another officer to the scene. The other officer kept trying to get me to sit in his cruiser, and I kept saying no, as this felt like a weird request, than an ambulance arrived, called by Sergeant O'Neil herself. She lied to the paramedics, saying I was acting manic, even though the whole time she was there I was standing in silence. Basically, she put me in a corner. Go with the paramedics or go home. She found a way to take away my right to protest against a man who was only harassing patients with a graphic picture of Jesus and snide remarks.

Of course I left, but I came back 20 minutes later with a large cardboard sign that simply said "Pro Choice" in purple letters and my own rosary. :-) I took advantage of the large cardboard sign and used it to block the picture of Jesus he was holding, so people from the street did not have to see it. He kept moving around, but I kept my distance, but stayed close enough to keep his sign blocked from people being able to view it from the sidewalk as they walked by. I have to say it again, no one should have to involuntarily see a picture like that being held up as they are walking down the sidewalk.

My cardboard sign worked! I got more thumbs ups, smiles, cheers, positive comments in one hour than I have ever gotten. One girl even came up and surprised me with a kiss on the cheek. Yep, I stood out there blocking his sign for one hour. He kept trying to scare me by saying the police would come back soon and I would be arrested this time, I completely ignored him. He finally gave up (he said he would be there until 7, and left at about 5:45). He said it was rude I kept blocking his sign... and then he finally walked away! He says he will be back tomorrow, if so, I will have another hour for him.