By Dave Andrusko
The last time we wrote about Planned Parenthood moving its Washington, DC abortion clinic, it was to talk about the resistance to PPFA’s determination to move it right next to the Two Rivers Public Charter School! Unfortunately, that grassroots opposition failed and the abortion clinic opened last September.
That’s only the half of it. Earlier this week representatives of more than 20 religious organizations “blessed” the facility, according to Rachel Kurzius of DCist. The group featured “leaders from different Christian denominations, a rabbi, abortion providers, a Planned Parenthood patient, Hindu priests, an Imam over Skype, visual art, and a liturgical dance.”
Which was just fine with Dr. Laura Meyers, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington. “In almost every message to our staff, I talk about our doing sacred work,” she told Kurzius, adding, “This confirms the sacredness of the work we do.”
The story has to be read in its entirety to get the flavor of what took place. For example, itinerant abortionist Willie Parker–“ who is about as close as the reproductive choice movement gets to a rock star”–was on hand. “Women have been made to think that this [clinic] is some evil place, where God is not,” he said.
Planned Parenthood medical director Serina Floyd said she plans to tell patients that the abortion facility is a “blessed space” and that she is looking forward to telling patients that “those of faith also support your decisions.”
Other contributors chanted a mantra which “gives a good vibration to the building and anyone who comes in will be healed soon.” That is, everyone but the unborn child who is slaughtered.
It gets even more bizarre. Referring to Venkatesh Vadhyar and Bragadeesh Balasubramanian, Kurzius wrote
Later, once the ceremony was over and people were cleaning up the chairs, the two remained to flick holy water around the downstairs space because “when we chant mantras, vibrations go through the water,” Balasubramanian says, leaving the negative energy behind.
To cap off the ceremony, people wrote what they needed to get rid of on a stone, which they tossed and replaced with another stone that had a word of blessing—like courage or peace—on it. “Allow yourself to be blessed as you put it under the water and take it with you,” said Christine Wiley, as the group sang “This Little Light of Mine” together.
“This Little Light of Mine.” You can’t make this stuff up.