who claimed to have resigned from Planned Parenthood after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. This Burnt Orange Report piece was written by a former Planned Parenthood colleague of Abby Johnson.
From the
Burnt Orange Report:Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 08:59 AM CST
For over a year and a half I have been a volunteer escort at the Planned Parenthood reproductive health care facility in Bryan, Texas; this particular facility is located in a town home to arguably the most conservative public university, Texas A&M, and is known as one of the most anti-choice areas in the country. <snip>
Early on Saturday mornings, the days during which surgical abortions are performed; I arrive at Planned Parenthood and walk through the double doors and sign-in on the volunteer check-in sheet. I put on the yellow and orange volunteer vest, and check out a security badge. Over the next several hours I spend my morning escorting clients into the facility. Volunteer escorts meet clients at their cars and welcome them to Planned Parenthood, and as soon as the clients open their car doors the protesters being shouting through the fence. Escorts simply walk clients from their automobiles to the front door of the facility, and this demonstrates to the clients that we are there to support them. After clients leave the facility escorts walk the clients back to their automobiles, and then ensure that they have a clear path out of the driveway.
<snip>
It was during these mornings that I met Abby Johnson, the director of the Planned Parenthood in Bryan. Johnson was always open to talk about the issues dealing with reproductive rights, and I have always known her to be an outspoken and an opinionated advocate of reproductive rights. Sometimes Johnson would visit with the volunteer escorts in front of the facility, and complaints about the protesters seemed to always be one of the topics of conversation. When it comes to the protesters Abby had plenty to complain about. As a volunteer and then later as an employ of Planned Parenthood, she had seen times when the protesters were much more aggressive and much more hostile towards the clients, volunteers, and employees. In fact Johnson herself has been the victim of harassment, and even death threats. While Coalition for Life does not claim responsibility for the actions of all of the protesters, the Coalition for Life facilitates an atmosphere that contributes to those actions.
<snip>
On Information Underground Johnson spoke about the threats from the protesters:
"This group of people that claim to be peaceful prayer warriors, or whatever they call themselves, it's kind of ironic that some of them would be sending death threats and that they would be harassing and stalking some of our staff."
On Fair and Feminist Johnson spoke about crisis pregnancy hotlines:
"Another thing that scares me is...if people are not trained and they don't know the actual facts on abortion, and they have their own opinion because they've been told by somebody from the Coalition or they've been told by their crazy anti-choice church...you never know what they are going to spouting off to these women."
It is this history that is why I have my doubts about this conversion. From what Johnson herself told me when she first announced that she had resigned from director of Planned Parenthood was that she had quit not because of moral reasons but because of a disagreement with Planned Parenthood. Johnson had complained about the amount of work that she was required to do, and recently a key member of the staff had accepted another position at another Planned Parenthood facility. There is speculation that this conversation was not as much about a change of heart but more about a disgruntled employee. According to an article in Salon, Johnson was put on a performance improvement plan by Planned Parenthood on October 2nd of this year, only a year after being awarded "Employee of the Year." Planned Parenthood has also filed a temporary restraining order against Johnson and the Coalition for Life. According to the restraining order Johnson was observed removing materials from the facility, copying confidential files, a possibly giving confidential personal information about a Planned Parenthood employee to the Coalition for Life.
According to reports Johnson resigned "after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure." Ultrasounds are used during abortions specifically to make them safer, less painful, and more efficient. According to a confidential source, it seems that the statements that she has made in the media about the ultrasounds are contradictory to the statements that she has made in private. What is particularly strange is that according to the article in Salon, Johnson witnessed the ultrasound procedure that changed her mind the day before the interview on Fair and Feminist. Also, what remains to be seen is the financial incentive that Johnson may be receiving from the Coalition for Life. According to confidential sources Johnson is now on the Coalition for Life payroll. Also, it appears that Johnson may have been having financial difficulty, so a monetary motivation may be a factor.
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