Meet Sue Fish, an escort of the Family Planning Clinic

Sue Fish, an experienced clinic escort from the Boston Metropolitan Area Health Center, first grabs a morning drink – a coffee or water, for example – before she settles down. for his usual shift. Marked by her neon "volunteer" vest, she faces the crowd of protesters who will accompany her all day, ranging from a few to a multitude of them, and she does not flinch.

The 69-year-old woman remembers a case in which she had to apologize briefly, take a step inside and take a deep breath. While volunteering, she had met a boy sitting in the nearby cafe Caffe Nero with his father. Soon, they began to make friendly exchanges – beckoning and playing hide-and-seek through the window.

In a few moments, things took a turn.

"[The father] stopped to chat and one of the protesters approached and started telling him horrible things about me "killing babies" – and there was a child there, "said Fish." I was so angry. Because it's a child. It's not fair. "

At the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Alcorn Street, in Allston, lies one of the many family planning regimes that, in recent years, have been strengthened as a key battleground in a war waged well before the birth of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision of 1973 legalizing the right of women to abortion.

And placed outside the entrance and exit of this center, escorts of volunteer clinics like Fish are responsible for helping patients to enter and exit the building safely.

On the morning of August 28, the city was experiencing a four-day heat wave. But, in the same way that Fish and other escorts show the rain or the sun, a winter storm warning or a warning of heat, the protesters, with literature and rosary in hand, also arrive at perfection.

Fish had short brown hair and was wearing an electric blue shirt, a bright pink waistcoat with the word "VOLUNTEER" on her back, and she had paired her denim shorts with brown sneakers. With temperatures forecast to reach 97 degrees that day, she donned black sunglasses, which she balanced with hanging earrings for peace signs. Her fair skin was dotted with freckles and she often had a smile or a joke – a way, she said, of releasing the tension and getting people into the center more comfortable.

Fish stood only a few feet from the protesters – one man and two women, "regulars," she said – who repeat Catholic prayers like "Our Father" and encourage new patients to seek out alternative options, as opposed to receiving care from Planned Parenthood.

This Tuesday, however, was what Fish later described as "soft," referring to both the targeting of patients and bystanders by protesters, as well as the graphic nature of the signs, which said, "When they tell you that abortion is an affair between a woman and her doctor … They forget about someone.

Even on days when the panels describe "images of bloody and dismembered fetuses" or compare the services offered by the clinic to ISIS actions, or where the language used by escorts and patients is particularly pejorative, Ms. Fish has stated that the protesters were not his goal. After entering her "zen space" – a way of compartmentalizing – her concern is only to ensure that patients and their companions can safely enter the building to access care.

"I want to be a cheerful and welcoming presence that they see when they come around the corner and make sure that they are safe from protesters, "she said. . "I mean by that: safe from harassment."

And to do this, Fish actively monitors those who are heading to the clinic: making eye contact, offering to accompany them inside or outside the center and in front of the protesters, and engaging in a carefree conversation on topics such as the Red Sox – a team, she joked, she knows nothing – to distract them.

A 19-year-old student, Fish is very interested in the widespread advocacy efforts that will define this period later. It was the season of protests – the era of the Vietnam War and Flower Power.

"When I was in college, it was before Roe v. Wadeand contraception was not legal. It was not legal to provide contraception to unmarried women, "she said. "Bill Baird was in Massachusetts trying to change the law so that unmarried women would have access to contraception. It was the Vietnam War and Bill Baird. Vietnam War, Bill Baird. From front to back. "

For 50 years, Fish has pursued his political activity and volunteered for various causes. At the Greater Boston Health Center, where she has been involved since the US Supreme Court's decision to revoke the Massachusetts Buffer Law in 2014, Fish devotes a morning every week to escorting patients and he also serves as a captain, which forces him to supervise other volunteers as well, one Saturday a month – the busiest day in the clinic.

"I was told that I was burning in hell more times than I could count," she said. "And that I'm responsible for dead babies – I'm personally responsible for dead babies. And that I have no respect for life. Whatever you want to think: go for it. I'm mad.

Jennifer Childs-Roshak, President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said that under Donald Trump's presidential administration, the political climate surrounding reproductive rights and other reproductive health issues is growing. health had become particularly "toxic".

"What we know for sure, it has been clear from the beginning that the Trump administration is seeking to reduce or eliminate various health care services in general, essentially civil rights, "she said. "We've seen this nationally too, I think if the leader of your country is a bully, a liar and an anti-fact and an anti-scientist, people are encouraged to behave badly enough. "

An overview of the buffer zone law

Prior to 2014, reproductive care centers throughout the state were protected by a 2007 law establishing a buffer zone without protest of less than 35 feet, designed to prevent patients from experiencing the onslaught of harassment Fish described being a witness. When he died, the escorts also felt safe. Since 1993, 11 people involved in reproductive health care have been murdered by anti-abortion protesters, including two in two abortion clinics in Brookline – following a 1994 shooting that also left five injured .

At the time, Massachusetts was only one of three states to have mandated this "protected bubble zone". But in 2014, the decision of the US Supreme Court in McCullen c. Coakley determined that the law was too broad, and it was canceled.

A few hours after the decision, Deval Patrick, who was governor at the time, signed the Access Security Law, which states that protesters can not block access to the doors of the centers. A line delineates the boundary outside 1055 Commonwealth Ave. location.

"Before, they had to stay behind. This created a cooling point, "said Childs-Roshak, herself a volunteer escort. "And now there is no break. I'd like an area that offers protection. "

According to Fish, the majority of regulars are aware of the law and respect it – perhaps even pushing the boundaries sometimes – but others, like the noisy and unexpected group from Florida who visited the summer last, completely ignore mutually accepted norms, she said. . When this happens, security guards – who monitor the situation at all times – intervene.

"I know that at least one of the protesters – because I admit it – was in the vicinity, "she said." After the assassination of these clinics, there was a willingness of the parties to to unite to try to understand how everyone 's rights can be respected and that there would be no violence because I do not think anyone wants violence, these people from outside the city do not may not have the same state of mind, but no one wants the violence that has taken place. "

Judge Brett Kavanaugh Appointed to US Supreme Court – Defended by Pro-Life as Key to Rollover Roe v. Wade – is "one of the last of a long series of attacks by the Trump administration", Childs-Roshak said. And while the people involved in the right to life movement have been galvanized by the measures taken (and the threats of removal of funding) from birth planning and health services for women in general, she pointed out that More than 70% of Americans support abortion.

In addition, Childs-Roshak said, the services offered by the health center, not only at the state level, but nationwide, are poorly understood. Approximately 97% of health care provided nationally is contraception, STI screening and treatment, contraception and other health services, cancer screening and prevention, and sex hormone treatment – and about 3%, abortion-related care. The country has reached its lowest level in 30 years in terms of early pregnancy and abortion-related care, but said it was not noticed by the "anti-malarial" movement. choice".

"It's not just Trump's supporters, but rather this extreme group of supporters or subgroups that amplify incivility," she said. "It's explicit. Things like walking well beyond the entrance to try to confront people with literature, offensive language. They are often very close to people and make themselves understood: they call people and make stigmatizing comments. "

The blockage of this rhetoric has become second nature to many escorts of clinics like Fish. Buthe warned that to be able to do the job to the job, you need a thick skin. Some protesters are used to targeting male escorts, visibly pregnant women, people of color and new volunteers who may not be as well equipped to control their emotional response – all for the purpose of trying to put oneself under the skin of people. I said.

"When they tell you," You burn in hell for killing babies, "you leave," Ha, yeah, that's right. "That escapes you," she said. "And if you can not move in this space, it's the wrong job."

While Trump's presidency may have encouraged protesters, the clinic has also benefited from a tremendous surge of support, from passers-by who stop to express their gratitude or question how they can get involved.

Shortly after the 2016 elections and on a Saturday – as the most aggressive protesters crowded the sidewalk – Fish was prepared for a scene similar to the one episode that really rocked him. His peculiarities echoed when an older man, looking "very determined", walked straight towards her without hesitation.

For herself, she thought "Oh, here we go. I'm going to have rhetoric. "

But her stereotypes, which she described as "bad, bad, bad," turned out to be wrong.

"He gave me a $ 25 bank check," said Fish. "I was dazzled."

And she said that it was both these little acts of kindness and the particularly difficult changes that reinforced the links of the escort community in the clinics.

"Every political setback seems to attract more volunteers and young volunteers, which warms my heart, "she said. "Because we old people are going to die. There will always be protesters. And so you young people have to take over for us.

According to Fish, the most rewarding aspect of the job is feeling that it has made a difference. And as long as she can stand, she does not plan to abandon the job.

"At least once a shift, you know you've made it easier for someone to get in and out," she said. "But the best is when a patient says, "Oh, thank you very much. I do not know if I could have done it without you. It's really remarkable and it's worth it. "