We landed in Wichita for the third time in the spring of 1991. In April, a devastating tornado had ripped through base housing, destroying 110 of the homes that were occupied by military families, and the entire development of Officer's Housing was gone. Construction on the new dwellings was not complete until 1993. When we arrived, we rented a house in the south-central part of Wichita, near the back gate to McConnell, AFB. (The back gate is commonly known as the KANG gate.)
I did the same thing I have always done when we arrived in a new city...I flipped open the yellow pages and called a couple of healthcare staffing agencies and began working almost immediately as an agency nurse. I did not work directly for, or inside of, any of the reproductive services clinics. I worked for an Ob/Gyn practice that treated only high-risk patients refered from other doctors. We drew ire because our office referred patients to Dr. Tiller's clinic for therapeutic abortions, for maternal life and health reasons, doomed fetuses, and yes, when it was the parents choice in cases of non-fatal birth defects.
A month into this assignment, to which I was contractually bound to for six months (total), Operation Rescue came to town. They picketed en masse outside all of the reproductive services clinics, and eventually found there way to our facility. They stalked employees. They mailed packages containing mutilated dolls to the daughters of employees. They picketed private homes and issued death-threats to people like me.
Before the Summer of Mercy, I was a fence sitter. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I was pro-life. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I was pro-choice, and on Sundays I didn't think about it. Now I am moderately pro choice, vehement in both moderation and the sanctity of choice.
- I do not believe abortion is birth control. I do not believe that abortion is a decision to be made lightly. (I also do not believe very many women do make such a decision lightly, and those who do probably shouldn't be parents.)
- I do believe that personal responsibility needs to be emphasized. There are a hell of a lot of birth control choices out there. Unplanned pregnancies are largely preventable, and therefore often times the consequence of irresponsible behavior. If you take a pill and use a condom, the chances you will ever need to make that decision falls to below 1%. I also believe that 12 weeks is adequate time to make up ones mind about what option to exercise. If abortion is going to be the choice then it should be done as early as possible.
- I believe that Emercency Contraception should be available over the counter, and in the interim, pharmacists who refuse to fill legally obtained prescriptions should receive an immediate transfer to the cosmetics department, along with the commensurate reduction in pay.
- I do not believe E.C. and abortion are the same thing. I do not believe that preventing an egg from implanting constitutes an abortion. (If it is, women who have had endometrial ablations are most likely all repeat aborters if they are sexually active and not practicing a reliable method of birth-control.) I respect your right to your beliefs, in this regard, and I realize that if we are not in agreement we will not change one another's mind.
- I believe that abortion should be available in all fifty states, on military installations outside the United States, and in all U.S. territories and protectorates during the first trimester. I believe that 24 hour waiting periods represent an undue burden on rural women who have to drive several hours to a metropolitan area to obtain an abortion. (I believe that parental notification laws are counter-productive to protecting teenagers. What about when a father or step-father is the abuser? That solitary factor is enough to put that issue to bed for me.)
- After 12 weeks, I can see certain limitations being enacted. But life and health of the mother, and yes, quality of life considerations on behalf of the fetus, are non-negotiable.
There you have it. My point of view, and the one that is guaranteed to piss off both sides of the debate. To the hard-line pro-choicers, I say "you are not on a sympathetic side here. Please inject some common sense into your argument. Thank you." And to the hard-line pro-lifers, I say "Remember this: If prostitution is the worlds oldest profession, it is a safe bet that abortionist is the second-oldest. It is never going to go away. The best we can do is keep it safe, legal, and rare."
Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go and put on my body-armor for the inevitable pelting with stones.
