What a great article, Ann! It's a topic that's not often discussed when it comes to women's health/reproductive health clinics: internal and external infrastructure. Yet it's something anyone who has stepped into one of these clinics is faced with and thinks about. An old, ugly, run-down building or office can cause a lot of doubts about the quality of medical care when stepping into a clinic.

And that is a huge reason why I was so impressed with the Aurora clinic. It is unlike any PP clinic I've ever been to: spacious, clean, modern, warm, new, and it even smells good! I cannot wait for this legal drama to end and this gorgeous clinic to open.

Great article, thanks so much for including pictures--i think it's more attractive than any other of the big buildings in the are (the giant shopping mall complex, for example).

Bravo, great article. You hit the nail right on the head with your analysis that the Aurora Planned Parenthood is a threat to the anti-choice movement's picture of what a seedy abortion clinic might look like.

Quote from Alderman Beykirch in his e-mails to me:
"I can't imagine that even a pro-PP person could see that the long term effects of their location are not good for my neighborhood."

Nice. Long term effects being what? Oh, that's right , "unsavory elements" from the other side of the tracks infiltrating, and of course that building will become dilapidated someday... right? Jerk.

gah. yeah, the long term effects of allowing women into the neighborhood. we lower property values, its just another magical ability we have, menstruation, creating life, lowering property values...with our vaginas.

i live maybe 30 minutes from aurora and i would love to go to planned parenthood's beautiful new facility to get the care i havent been able to afford for a few years now, but no, yet again a bunch of schmucky white dudes are impeeding on my health and happiness. a friend at school put it best "i didn't sell you my uterus on e-bay, so you cannot tell me what to do with it. period."

I just read the article and it just angers me at the many, many roadblocks that the anti-choicers put in the road just to prevent a medically certified women's health clinic, such as Planned Parenthood, from being built. My suggestion: protest the building of the next maternity wing at our hospitals.

And I know all about TRAP (targeted regulation of abortion providers). States shouldn't be allowed to receive health funds if they have TRAP laws.