Hmmmm. Well, well look what I found on Wikipedia. Operation Rescue – the group that pro-choicers love to hate and everybody else seems to deny knowing. A fun read, if you’re wondering how much credit to give these guys.

But enough about them. This post is about Beaumont. (wait! stay with me.) Nestled in the heart of the more or less conservative Texas city bordering Louisiana, you’ll find an abortion clinic – the only one in town.

I used to be a patient advocate in our Austin clinic, so I “get” working at the clinic. I’ve answered the call of a woman thinking about abortion for the first time – many times. I’ve helped fund a woman’s abortion who ran out of ways to get help and needed childcare for the day she would be with us. I’ve walked through an appointment day with a woman having an abortion and held her hand during the procedure. I’ve sat in the waiting room and listened to women’s stories. I’ve seen women left by their partners at their appointments. I’ve seen them walk to the clinic from the nearest bus stop, 1 mile away. I’ve seen rape victims who were mortified by the, to the extent that they had to be sedated in order to get the care they needed. I’ve seen pregnant 13 year olds. I’ve seen pregnant 50 year olds. I’ve seen Christians, famous people, anti-abortion protestors, families, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters and teen couples…

I’ve seen WOMEN – every type, in all kinds of situations – making the choice to have an abortion, each with their own list of reasons why. I saw these same types of women in Beaumont. I know that regardless of the location, every type of woman uses our services.

Beaumont had the same friendly staff and same WWH atmosphere at the clinic that I first found in Austin (at my first annual ever as a Freshman in college, no less.) Of course we were greeted by protestors, but what’s new?

Here’s a quick mini-tour of the clinic:

A view of our front desk

One of our new display cases, with condoms, post-abortion healing workbooks and brochures.

One of our cozy counseling rooms.

One of our comfy waiting areas.

Our memorial to the late Dr. George Tiller, put up for our patients to read. This flag was given to us by Dr. Tiller, and the write-up is a tribute to his life’s work.

In short, I found our Beaumont clinic to be a beautiful place, true to the WWH standard. I gathered some words from the staff, and I’ll be posting those up soon! Stay tuned!