No abortion access in my well-manicured backyard

A judge ruled today that the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora, Illinois, won’t be allowed to open. The court sided with the city attorney, who argued PP violated land use and permit regulations — and that this supposedly isn’t about abortion. (Yeah, right.) PP lawyers responded, “We wouldn’t be here if this was a foot care clinic.”
It’s bad news in the short term, but legal precedent appears to side with us on this one. In a nearly identical case (PDF) out of New Hampshire in 2001, the court came down in favor of Planned Parenthood.
At today’s hearing the city attorney also said, “The city of Aurora’s image is important.” Which, I think, is so revealing — I’m struck by the class angle to all of this. The new clinic is “tucked between a supermarket, a Blockbuster Video, and a cluster of upscale homes” in the suburbs. It’s clear that this is not just about opposing abortions in general. It’s that some residents don’t like the idea of abortion (and contraception) being available down the street from their McMansions. It’s the attitude that abortion is an icky thing, best left to the seedy parts of town. I know the serious anti-choice crazies are going to come protest no matter what, but I really wonder if there would be any local opposition to this clinic if it was opening between a liquor store and a Popeye’s on a strip in the bad part of town. My guess is no.
It’s also curious to watch anti-choicers decry the fact that the new Planned Parenthood clinic is a $7.5 million, state-of-the-art facility. Because they’re used to portraying abortion clinics as dilapidated and riddled with health-code violations. This new clinic clearly conflicts with that stereotype. They’re going so far as to call the new clinic the “Abortion Fortress.” (I prefer “Contraception Fortress” or “Pap Smear Fortress,” thankyouverymuch.) Of course, they fail to acknowledge that the reason for the fortress-like facade is the so-called pro-lifers’ tendency to lash out violently at women’s health care providers. Ahem.
And speaking of hardcore forced-pregnancy activists, Eric Scheidler responded to today’s ruling with some serious co-opting of pro-choice language, calling the decision “a great victory for choice — freedom of choice for the people of Aurora to determine their own destiny.” Yeah, people of Aurora who don’t have uteruses.
More to come as the story develops…