Feminists in Jackson Outnumber Operation Save America

Feminists in Jackson Outnumber Operation Save America
By Sarah Olson
Truthout | Report

Monday 17 July 2006

Pastor Phillip “Flip” Benham got Jesus when he was 27. Seated under the vaulted ceiling of a cavernous church that used to be an amusement park in Jackson, Mississippi, Benham explains that he went from days of drinking, gambling and owning a saloon to attending seminary college, and finally to leading Operation Save America, formerly known as Operation Rescue.

Operation Save America has called for a week-long protest of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi. They have come with a strong belief in Jesus, a fear of feminism, and six-foot photos of fetuses.

Pastor Benham says he was first attracted to Operation Rescue when he saw people lying down in front of an Atlanta, Georgia, abortion clinic. “These people were living out their theology,” he says. He sees his presence in Jackson as an essential form of direct action: he is honestly living out his belief in Jesus. He says he’s not just here to prevent abortions from happening, but to reach out to sinners in Jackson, Mississippi, and help them find their way to salvation.

Feminists and pro-choice advocates from across the country have also flocked to Jackson for a week of protest, advocacy, and pro-choice activism. Kim Gandy is the president of the National Organization for Women and was in Jackson over the weekend. “Operation Save America has vowed that they will shut down the clinic, and we are here to rally Jackson, and to rally with the people in Jackson, to help them keep this clinic open.”

Michelle Colon works with the Jackson, Mississippi, National Organization for Women. She says a lot is at stake for women in Mississippi this week. “Operation Save America is not just against abortion. They are against comprehensive sex education, contraception, and the morning after pill.” The entire spectrum of women’s reproductive rights and civil liberties are in jeopardy if Operation Save America is allowed to normalize its point of view, she says.

Operation Save America kicked off its week-long demonstrations at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Saturday morning. Fifty demonstrators surrounded the clinic, saying prayers, calling on the staff to repent, and holding graphic photos of what they allege to be aborted fetuses. McCoy Faulker works for the Jackson Women’s Health Organization. He has been doing security for abortion clinics and women’s organizations for over 20 years. He’s pleased that the feminist turnout has far outnumbered Operation Save America. He says Pastor Flip Benham and Operation Save America work hard to instill fear into clinic staff, abortion providers, and those seeking abortions.

The National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority, Radical Women, and other groups responded Saturday with a “kick-off” rally in downtown Jackson. Hundreds of pro-choice supporters turned out to express their support for the Jackson Women’s Health Organization and for the right to access safe and legal abortions. The rally was interrupted when the police cleared the park because of a bomb threat.

While the rally may have been shut down, the feminist presence in Jackson is here to stay. Organizers say they are dedicating the upcoming week not just to defending abortion rights, but to raising awareness about a whole host of reproductive freedom issues, including abortion clinic access, emergency contraception, health care, and women’s reproductive and civil rights.

Feminist organizations here in Jackson say it is possible to see the week of pro- and anti-choice demonstrations as a microcosm, showing the seriousness of the threat to reproductive rights in the nation at large. South Dakota has now passed a law banning abortion. Louisiana passed a law that would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother if Roe vs. Wade were ever overturned. The Supreme Court is poised to hear a challenge to the legality of second and third trimester abortions that many say could result in severe restriction on abortion access. Throughout the country, laws continue to be passed that limit and restrict women’s right to access abortion. In addition, access to birth control and meaningful sex education and reproductive health care are also threatened.

The stage is now set for a week of demonstrations by Operation Save America and by the feminist groups intent on defending the last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi. Operation Save America plans to read the entire bible outside the Jackson Women’s Health Organization. They are also planning a memorial service for the unborn, complete with a real fetus, a reading of their emancipation proclamation, and other events throughout the week.

————

Sarah Olson is an independent journalist and radio producer based in Oakland, California. She can be reached at [email protected].