The Abortion Fight In My Back Yard

Hey, there I am!
Where have I been? Well, I could come up with quite a few excuses for my absence over the last few days (including one awkward funeral) but the biggest reason is my focus on fighting some religious extremists who've descended upon my neighborhood.
 
Less than 2 miles from my front door is one of the most controversial buildings in the Midwest right now. It's the newest and largest Planned Parenthood facility in the country. The facility was supposed to open this last Tuesday but has been blocked by some legal trip-wires laid by the religious crazies who've been holding vigils outside for the last 40 or so days. The facility's permits were in the name of it's subsidiary, Gemini Corp., which is neither unusual nor illegal.
 
Here's what Planned Parenthood will offer my community...

• Complete gynecological services, including breast exams and pap tests
• A range of contraceptive options
• Pregnancy testing
• Screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
• Rapid HIV testing
• Emergency contraception
• Abortion services
• Options counseling, including adoption referrals
• Educational programs
• English and Spanish speaking medical professionals

And here's a short news piece on the ordeal. My frame of mind is a pro-choice one (as opinionated as I can be, being a male) but I am anti-abortion. Abortion is a dreadful procedure but in some cases a neccessary one. More importantly abortion is not in itself the problem - unwanted pregnancies are the problem. Address the growing numbers of unwanted pregnancies and the numbers of abortions preformed will dwindle.
 
Here's some startling yet important numbers.

1. Number of abortions per year: Approximately 46 Million
2. Legality of abortion: About 26 million women obtain legal abortions each year, while an additional 20 million abortions are obtained in countries where it is restricted or prohibited by law. [Source]
   

Those numbers speak volumes. It's obviously way too many abortions but it clearly demonstrates that abortions will be performed irregardless of the legality. It should also be fairly obvious that legal, licensed and clean abortions are much safer than the illegal type.
 
The practice of willfully terminating a pregnancy has been around since before the advent of written history. It predates the Bible. Closing abortion clinics and trying to make the practice unlawful will not make abortions go away. The most direct approach (whether you're pro-this or pro-that) is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies by offering a wide range of contraceptive services and counseling to people of all incomes - which is exactly what Planned Parenthood does.
 
I've been standing up on all fronts and invite you (even if you don't live in the area) to speak up also. You can...
  

• E-mail the Aurora City Council   
• E-mail a Letter to the Editor  
  
• Request a ribbon be tied in your name outside the new center
  
• Visit the blog of the protesters and try to talk some sense into them (my conversation here)

Thanks to Chicago Moms Blog for the info. Pics by Sirchuckles.