Hey There John, Another tour leg on the books… and another gaggle of bizarro protestors documented for posterity. By this point we are no strangers to all manner of extremist weirdos camped out in front of the clinics that we support. And we’ve even started collecting our own little group of fan boys who occasionally protest at our shows (we’ve got no problem with that…we figure, let them get tuckered out and maybe they won’t bother someone seeking an abortion the next morning). In Houston, we saw an extra-special species of sidewalk pestilence from the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property aka “The TFP”. YES! That’s their real name. Wanna bet women fall into all of three of those categories in their world? I shit you not, they wear suits with capes (see actual photos below). As our brilliant colleague Molly Gaebe put it, “Nothing changes a gal’s opinion about having an abortion faster than an underage Catholic virgin sweating bullets in an ill-fitting wool suit, drearily mumbling in Latin.”  Joking aside, the unrelenting intimidation that “curbside counselors” heap on people entering reproductive health care clinics is an epidemic across the country. And while there are amazing clinic escorts and defenders who stand up to these creeps every time they show up… it’s simply unacceptable that this continual harassment is allowed in so many cities. Clinics try to carve out space in the form of buffer zones, but it’s a major challenge to get these ordinances through city hall in places hostile to abortion. Which brings us to our emergency ask TODAY for Mississippi! Our friends at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) aka “The Pink House” aka the LAST clinic in Mississippi, are fighting this battle right now and finally have a buffer zone ordinance being reviewed by the City Council on Thursday morning. They get hundreds of protestors each week and the proposed ordinance creates a buffer zone surrounding JWHO. It helps keep sidewalks clear and also tightly regulates amplified sound around the clinic, prohibiting amplification within 100 feet of the property line. The local protestors are organized and are asking people nationwide to flood the Jackson City Council with calls in opposition to the proposed ordinance. The Pinkhouse Defenders (JWHO’s clinic escorts) have put out their own request for support and we hope you take the time to call. Info for contacting council members to let them know that you support a buffer zone for JWHO is in the above link. These folks in Jackson are inundated with protesters year round and a buffer zone would make a huge difference. Here’s a little reminder of what they were dealing with when we went down and visited them in January. That’s why it’s important to voice your support of this buffer zone!  This is why we fight! Lizz |