Standing Up for Roe V. Wade

Today is National Abortion Providers Day, honoring those who routinely place themselves in the line of fire to make sure that women's constitutional right to choose remains uninfringed. Roe v. Wade is not an static law; its survival rests on the shoulders of some of the most courageous individuals in our country.

Spending an early Saturday morning in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic is a profound way to see how abortion rights in this country have deteriorated since the passage of Roe v. Wade. On the day Planned Parenthood performs abortions, crews of anti-abortion protesters threaten, abuse and physically block those trying to enter the clinic. This is the situation that awaits women lucky enough to be in a state with abortion providers.

But in 84 percent of United States counties, there is no physician willing to provide abortion services, according to the ACLU. Small wonder, since between 1977 and 1994, more than 2,500 bombings, arsons, blockades and episodes of vandalism took place at abortion clinics. The intimidation and the violence against clinics and their physicians is all the more reason to call those who continue their job despite daily threats modern day heroes.

The death of Justice Harry A. Blackmun '29 last week offers us a unique opportunity to reflect on the state of abortion rights. Before Blackmun drafted the Supreme Court's legendary Roe v. Wade decision, women died daily, victims of botched back-alley abortions. Virtually everyone knew someone--friend, sister, daughter or mother--who had an illegal abortion. Women who were allowed to have an abortion were made to sign a psychiatrist's note saying that they were suicidal.

In Chicago, some were lucky enough to have Jane, an abortion service network where women safely performed abortions for years before the passage of Roe v. Wade, despite the fact that they had no formal training. This underground clinic suffered from vice raids by the police, but they were never bombed, and none of the providers spent significant time in prison. Doctors then risked losing their licenses for performing abortion--now they risk losing their lives.

Six years ago today, Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, Florida, was murdered by one of numerous anti-abortion extremists. Doctors go to work wearing bullet-proof vests to work in clinics which are bombed, blockaded and invaded. The violence against doctors extends beyond the workplace. Dr. Barnett Slepian was murdered in his home, the victim of a sniper. The families of these doctors live in fear, afraid of being attacked in their own homes. The attacks have increased over time-seven murders of abortion providers have all happened in the last six years.

The individuals who are putting their lives in jeopardy are people who are dedicated to upholding the constitutional rights of women. Those who are murdering them are brazen hypocrites. Antiabortion activists willing to kill for their cause are indefensible. Many people are unsure where they stand on abortion; as an ethical issue it comes in infinite shades of morality ranging from conception to birth. But anti-abortion activists who are silent while a violent fringe element do their dirty work stand against the constitution.

As far as abortion providers are concerned, you either protect them as they walk through the gauntlet into their workplaces each morning, or you join the violent crowd outside. You either protect their right to perform the most commonly sought surgical procedure among women in the United States, or you silently consent to their elimination by gun-toting anti-abortion activists.

Only 12 percent of U.S. obstetrician/gynecologist residency programs require routine training in first-trimester abortions. Doctors who aren't intimidated by anti-abortion threats are often older and reaching retirement age. Those retiring doctors saw the devastating affects of botched or self-induced abortions. When their perspective and passion is gone, those days could return.

Will it take a complete reversal of Roe v. Wade to convince Americans that abortion rights are seriously jeopardized? The advent of RU-486, the "abortion pill" may eventually make abortions more accessible to women whether or not they live near to a doctor who performs abortions. However, RU-486's entrance onto the United States market has been postponed indefinitely.

In 1997 Gedeon Richter, the European manufacturer responsible for producing the drug for the U.S. market, canceled its contract with the Population Council. Until another manufacturer is found, RU-486 remains an unfulfilled promise. Doctors are still the first line of defense against the erosion of abortion rights. In order to preserve those rights, we must protect our doctors.

This Saturday, find a Planned Parenthood in the Boston area. Protect patients and doctors as they enter the clinic. Stand up for the constitution. Send a message that the abortion battle will be fought with words and laws, not with guns and violence. Today, send a note to an abortion provider near you thanking them for continuing to do their job despite the tremendous odds. Salute America's modern-day heroes. Meredith B. Osborn '02, a Crimson editor, lives in Greenough Hall.