SUMMER OF TRUST

The Washington Post explores the many issues in abortion clinic and provider safety, and the current surge in restrictions on abortion care in the United States from a provider’s (Dr. Carhart’s) perspective. The article, Neb. doctor who performs late-in-pregnancy abortions in Md. talks about future of clinic, security concerns, highlights the critical need for out spoken, visible public support for choice. 

Dr. Carhart speaks on finding solidarity with other providers: “Even though you feel like you’re alone in the world, it’s good to find out that there’s . . . people like you out there, that are alone with you.” Summer of Trust wants Dr. Carhart, and providers across America, to know there is also solidarity among many Americans who deeply support and appreciate their work. We are the Americans who will not stand for harassment and injustice inflicted on providers contributing to reproductive freedom and women’s legal rights.

To know the extent of the sacrifices abortion providers make to provide care, read the full article on the Washington Post site here.

We would like to express extreme gratitude to the many organizations that are helping make Summer of Trust and Summer of Choice possible.

A big thank you to National Organization of Women for making defending choice a 2011 National NOW Conference Resolution, with particular mention of Summer of Trust and Summer of Choice activities. Local and National NOWs are doing a whole lot to spread the word, and we can’t be thankful  enough.

Also many thanks to the endorsements and word-spreading efforts of Feminist Majority Foundation,  Gloria Feldt, New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF), and Radical Women.

We are grateful for all the organization investing their staff and volunteers in the planning efforts of Summer of Trust such as the World Can’t Wait; Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force; Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; New York Coalition for Abortion Clinic Defense;  Femisisters; Words of Choice Pro-Choice Theater; DC International Socialist Organization (DC ISO) and the Baltimore International Socialist Organization. And finially, but not at all lastly, we are deeply grateful for all the support and organizing happening from Summer Celebration of Choice, Dr. Carhart, and his staff.

Call to Action, Happening Now: If you are in the Orlando area, please get into the streets and join those opposing Flip Benhman (now convinced stalker of abortion providers) and Operation Save America harassment of multiple abortion clinics in the Orlando. The harassment began yesterday (Saturday, July 16th) and is planning to go continuously until the 23rd.

To join the current prochoice presence in Orlando, FL contact Debra Sweet at debrasweet@worldcantwait.net. The World Can’t Wait invites you to join them RIGHT NOW in Orlando, FL:

Operation Save America, led by notorious (and now convicted stalker of aboriton providers) Flip Benham has plans to bring their thugs to the streets of Orlando from July 16-23 in a mass gathering aimed to harass, intimidate, and shut down abortion clinics there. Check out their shirt in this photo from last year in Charlotte, NC: They  are “equal opportunity haters”- and must not go unopposed. Don’t let the brave doctors and staff of the area clinics face these fascist alone! 

The shirt reads: Jesus is the Judge, therefore: Abortion is Murder;  Homosexuality is Sin; Islam is a Lie;
Evolution is a Delusion; Feminism is Rebellion; Liberalism is False Religion; and Conservativism is Pretend Salt.

 Please join the activist on the West Coast to support Summer of trust and Summer of Trust!

Revolutionary Books and the World Can’t Wait will be hosting a Fundraiser Sunday July, 17th at Revolutionary Books ((5762 Hollywood Blvd)!

Make art, donate to the cause, enjoy dramatic readings. Check the event out here.

Dr. Carhart and his staff launched their Summer Celebration of Choice site yesterday highlighting their support and participation in prochoice activism this summer.  The site provides details on the July 31st-August 6th activities, especially the Kick-Off Walk planned for Sunday, July 31st at 1pm. The site also features this video from Dr. Carhart inviting and encouraging a strong prochoice  presence during the week:

We are all especially excited about the Kick-Off Walk, and encourage all Summer of Trust activists to join. The walk is also a fundraiser to support the Abortion Access Fund.

Please explore the Summer Celebration of Choice site (www.summerofchoice.com) and share it widely. You can  sign up to receive their email updates and being planning your participation in the Kick-Off Walk.

Against the backdrop of a wave of anti-abortion legislative assaults, Operation Rescue has announced plans for a “Summer of Mercy 2.0″ targeting the brave and outspoken Dr. LeRoy Carhart in Germantown, MD, July 31-August 7. Operation Rescue  is the same organization that hounded Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS, for years (until he was assassinated by one of their associates in May ’09). Their original “Summer of Mercy” in 1991 shut down access to the Dr. Tiller’s clinic for six weeks and resulted in 3,400 arrests, they are  invoking this alarming history again in their “Summer of Mercy 2.o” event.

Pro-choice and peace activist, and pro-choice organizations and are joining together to mount a serious and determined showing of public support for Dr. Carhart and the Germantown, MD, clinic, and the legal right to choice.

Forty minutes from Washington, Operation Rescue’s targeting of this clinic in Germantown is an important opportunity to dramatically shift the dialogue over abortion rights in the United States. Rather than accept compromises that leave us with less and less ground to stand on, let’s show the national media and politicians a strong pro-choice presence on the streets. As the right to abortion and birth control is both chipped away and attacked with state laws that are direct challenges to Roe, the need to mobilize boldly is clear.  Dr. Carhart is one of the most exemplary and heroic advocates of women’s rights today: he was a close friend and colleague of Dr. Tiller’s, and has stepped into Dr. Tiller’s shoes to provide women with life-saving abortions under the most difficult of circumstances, so-called “late-term” abortions, which are needed in crisis situations. Without his services many women would be left without any choice at all, and would die.  But Dr. Carhart hasn’t just provided medical care to women in need. He’s also:

• challenged repressive laws at the level of the Supreme Court (most notoriously with Carhart v. Gonzalez)
• shared his medical expertise with other doctors and increased the number of providers who can handle the difficult procedures he specializes in
• publicly spoken out against the hatred of the anti-abortion movement, never being intimidated by their threats.

This is the kind of person who should be cherished and revered, not forced to face the violence and bullying of the anti-abortion movement alone.

Come July 31st-August six to stand in solidarity against the harassment of abortion providers and women’s right to their bodies.