Clinic defense

I posted this on the facebook group and I'm re-posting it here so everyone can have access to it. Clinic defense!

I was supposed to do this ages ago on the directions of Liz, and now I finally have. For those of you who don't know, every Saturday morning the Charleston Women's Medical Center is the site of anti-abortion protests. The protesters bother the patients and attempt to keep them from getting into the building. The Women's and Gender Studies Program has an intern every semester whose purpose is to organize clinic defenders to help patients past the protesters.

If you are interested in doing this, go to the Charleston Women's Medical Center on a Saturday morning (try to be there by 7 or 7:30 am). It is located at 1312 Ashley River Rd. Park across the street in the parking lot to save room for patients in the clinic parking lot. Talk to the people out in front of the clinic wearing the yellow/green/orange vests that say "clinic" on them and tell them why you're there. Taylor Livingston is in charge of the whole deal.

Here are a few basic rules for clinic defense:
1. Do not speak to the protesters, even when provoked.
2. Only try to distract the patients. You don't have to have apologize for the protesters or have a meaningful conversation with them; just get them into the building.
3. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You're going to be standing around for a couple of hours.

That's about it. The women's collective plans to attend clinic defense en masse in the near feature. There will updates about this so transportation can be arranged.

Directions:
There are easy. From downtown, take 17S towards West Ashley. Cross the bridge and turn onto US61. Stay on 61 (after the slight left it turns into Ashley River Road) and you'll see Charleston Women's Medical Center on the right. Be sure to park in the parking lot across the street, not the one in front of the clinic.