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 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 12:32 pm |
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Local News 
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Anti-abortion activists join in 40-day campaign EVERETT — Josie Clark slowly walks up and down the sidewalk on 32nd Street outside Planned Parenthood with a handmade rosary in her hands.She mouths the words to a prayer, looks up and smiles before turning around to retrace her steps and begin another prayer. Clark and others walking or standing on the sidewalk outside the clinic are participating in a national campaign to end abortion. The 40 Days For Life campaign includes prayer and fasting, door-to-door community outreach, and constant vigil outside abortion clinics for 40 consecutive days. “I prayed here before with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish prayer group for three hours at a time,” Clark, 64, said. “I believe prayer affects everything. To me (abortion) is just one of the saddest woes of our country.” The Everett 40 Days for Life campaign began on Sept. 23 and will go through Nov. 1. Nationally, 212 cities in 45 states are taking part in the fall 2009 campaign. Local campaigns are also occurring in Bellingham, Bremerton, Olympia, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver. The campaign started in the fall of 2004 in College Station, Texas. A national campaign began in 2007 with participation in more than 80 cities in 30 states. Everett resident Michelle McIntyre, 43, was the campaign coordinator in fall 2007 for the first 40 Days For Life event in Everett. She has participated in this fall’s vigil twice a week since it began, she said. Her husband and 8-year-old daughter join her for one hour a week. Those who pass by have offered signs of encouragement such as honks of a car horn, waves and the occasional thumbs-up sign. Others express opposite sentiments, yell angry comments or criticize a clothing choice or the presence of children, McIntyre said. “We don’t discuss all the details of abortion but (my daughter) knows what’s going on when a mom is pregnant that there’s an actual human life there and that abortion is the taking of that life,” McIntyre said. “She understands that women make that decision usually not out of hatred for the child but mostly out of confusion and a feeling of not having anywhere to turn.” The campaign is also important to fall campaign coordinator Ed Mohs, who said he became involved in the movement through church activities as a junior high student in 1970. The topic is very personal for Mohs, 54, who was conceived out of rape and later adopted. He grew up in a family of eight children and is married with four children and seven grandchildren. “This is a big part of my life, this is part of who I am,” he said during his hour of daily morning vigil at the site. “And in my case, if my mother had an abortion I wouldn’t be able to tell the story.” He expects about 100 people to take part in the continuous vigil. Volunteers come from all over Snohomish County, and six are from Kirkland. His mother, Mary Mohs, is part of a St. Pius X Catholic Church group that takes part in the vigil Thursday mornings. “We’re seeing less people than when we first started,” she said. “The first week it seemed like the door was swinging all the time and last week when I was here for an hour I only saw two people go into the clinic, which I think was a blessing.” Those who participate in the campaign sign a statement to be peaceful and stay away from the clinic’s property, Ed Mohs said. Participants speak with the clinic’s clients and hand out pamphlets and other materials from the public sidewalk. The 40 Days For Life volunteer presence is felt by those who use the clinic’s services, according to 17-year-old Rachel Duren, who was at the clinic that day. Duren said she’s seen the signs volunteers prop up against street signs and has been personally approached by someone participating in the campaign. “They’re always there,” she said, and some people have told her they feel uncomfortable, harassed and judged by the protestors. “I think if they’re going to do that they need to follow a different code. They could move a block or two away from the clinic.” There have been no documented problems between the clinic’s staff and clients and those taking part in the Everett 40 Days For Life campaign but some patients have voiced their concerns, said Brian Cutler, communications director of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. Volunteer escorts offer security by greeting clients and walking them from their cars to the clinic entrance, he added. “The protesters are there to make our patients and staff uncomfortable,” he said. “Only about 8 percent of what we do is abortion and 92 percent of what we do is education and prevention. Planned Parenthood does more every day to prevent unintended pregnancies and abortions than the protesters will do in 40 days.” Campaign volunteers are well aware Planned Parenthood offers services other than abortions, McIntyre said. They are there to pray for an end to abortion. “We’re here to pray and just hoping our prayers are answered,” she said. Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491, adaybert@heraldnet.com. |
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COMMENTS
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The majority of people going to PP are responsible, sexually active young adults. To protest sexual education and safety just because one of the options PP offers is abortion, seems strange to me. Don't the protesters want to avoid abortions and unwanted pregnancies? The ONLY way to do that is education and access to birth control.
If you haven't noticed, people are not going to stop having sex, no matter what you do. Married or not, people will ALWAYS have sex. Abstinence does not work as birth control or prevent abortions.
There was a study that just came out stating the number of abortions does not decline if illegal or hard to access, it just becomes much more dangerous. Trying to change the laws to ban abortion would not prevent them from happening, anymore than preaching abstinence.
When I was younger, I went to PP for my yearly exams and birth control. I talked to the protesters way back then to inform them that I am a responsible, sexually active 20 year old who goes to PP because that was the only place to get medical care when you don't have insurance. If I did get pregnant, then I would have to make a decision of what to do. Until then, it's not my job to judge others who decide to have an abortion, for whatever reason.
I know that this vigil is supposed to be non-violent, but it is still harassment and intimidation. These people need to find some other way to "volunteer". How about go feed the hungry, I'm sure they'd appreciate you much more.
Chelsey Roe | Oct 15, 2009 10:19 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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...they would be handing out condoms. But they don't. The real goal of these nuts is to "punish the fornicator."
Get a life, and stop bringing your children to these hate-fests.
Michael Sheehan | Oct 12, 2009 9:20 am | 2 replies | Request removal
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Perhaps a better strategy would be to help pro-life candidates campaign against politicians who support unfettered abortion. During this time of government run health care debate, when taxpayer funded abortion is quite possible, it would make sense to campaign against politicians such as Senator Patty Murray, who supports abortion under nearly every circumstance, including partial birth abortion.
Randy Dutton | Oct 12, 2009 9:59 am | 1 replies | Request removal
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i think people need to have somthing better to do with there life and stop this hole dam pray crap and bring a 8 year old into to pray for people get a freaking life its better if can cant pay to have a baby or you know u cant take care of it and its the only why to go that the right thing to do. me and my boyfriend we have 5 kids and i had to have one done becouse we just dont have the money to bring one more in and its not thinking of are selfs and some people are not ready to have kids so take your pray crap and get a life
heather amos | Oct 12, 2009 4:54 am | 3 replies | Request removal
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Many of the 40 Days vigil participants, including myself, do not think contraception is the answer, but abstinence, which is why we don't hand out condoms. We are also not there to condemn the people who come to the clinic for any reason. We are simply there to pray for an end to abortion and to offer alternatives to abortion to those who are open to accepting them.
Hannah Russell | Oct 12, 2009 10:40 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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The text of the article is fair, but I noticed that the headline does not call the praying participants "Pro-Life", but instead "anti-abortion". Are we to infer that this same reporter would refer to those in favor of ending the life of a child as "pro-death"?
Mickey | Oct 12, 2009 7:21 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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To Heather, you need to have your head examined. You and your boyfriend need to start making smarter decisions about life. You have five children and you couldn't afford another one so lets kill it because thats whats best for YOU, not the child you created. If you don't want to have anymore kids, then get your tubes tied or take birth control pills. Oblivously your not doing anything to try and prevent yourself from getting pregnant, because it keeps happening. Their are women out there that would give anything to have 5 children, but they are unable to conceive. You should count yourself blessed. As for praying for those who are about to make a life changing decision, let us pray for them. Praying for others has never done any physical harm in any way. Let words of wisdom guide us, to guide you to better decisions and choices. I know many women who had abortions and they ALL regret it at some time in their lives. If you don't like it when people stand out on the sidewalk to let you know that there is other options, then stop making stupid decisions. You know what you are doing is wrong and you some how justify it, but you don't like those people there because they might make you grow a conscious and realize that what you are doing is a selfish decision, not the right decision. May the praying never cease!
ragen bristol | Oct 12, 2009 9:45 am | 1 replies | Request removal
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I really appreciate reporter Amy Daybert's fair and honest story of the Everett 40 Days for Life campaign. She presents an accurate picture of the peaceful and prayerful vigil while also presenting the views of Planned Parenthood supporters. I believe she spent 2 days observing and interviewing participants for this article.
On the other hand, some of the commenters are presenting a very different picture of participants "harassing" PP's clients and assuming everyone is going in for an abortion. This is simply not true. Most participants are there to pray, but some do offer information to women who MIGHT be thinking about abortion...information that is not being given inside the walls of Planned Parenthood...information about where else to turn. We also counsel women about lifestyles that lead them to seek abortion and present a better, more fulfilling way to live when we have the opportunity.
As for comments against bringing children to these prayer vigils: who better to speak for children threatened by abortion, then children themselves? My daughter asks me to let her participate. Is the presence of children disturbing your conscience?
Michelle McIntyre | Oct 12, 2009 2:06 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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