Intimidation Witnesses
As a patient escort at the Locust Street Planned Parenthood, I am compelled to respond to Doron Taussig's "news" article ["Roe v. Paid," Sept. 22, 2005]. Clearly, this article was placed in the wrong section of the paper. It's an editorial.

To be considered news, Taussig should have been a bit more objective in his analysis of the Pledge-a-Picket campaign. Brian Hickey, the editor, should have known better.

My role is to escort people into the building if they desire. This volunteer role was created due to a need for patients to be able to enter the building safely. We are "relatively quiet" because open arguments on the sidewalk don't help anyone or lessen the tension between the two sides of the issue. Although we are not vocal, we are there because we strongly believe that no one should suffer harassment and intimidation when seeking medical services. Our presence is our statement.

For Taussig to claim that "one would be hard-pressed to describe its behavior as 'intimidation'" is absurd. Crossing a picket line for any reason is always unsettling and PPSP patients, staff and volunteers have to do it almost every day. I have witnessed protesters pin patients against the wall and grab their arm in an attempt to stop them from entering. Do you believe that behavior is acceptable?
Megan Boatright
Center City

A single Saturday of observing Catholic protesters in front of Philadelphia's Planned Parenthood doesn't really cut the mustard. Taussig might want to swing by the PPSP on a Thursday morning. He won't see any prayer circles or rosary beads, just antagonism and abuse directed toward young women who may only be there for an exam.
Andre J. Chappelle
Cedar Park

Your portrayal of anti-abortion protesters was very one-sided. You portrayed them as a peaceful group of people who are merely demonstrating their love of God. That couldn't be further from the truth. They may cloak that behavior in rosaries, a priest, and prayer and call it faith or love of God, but I call it hate.
Mary Milnamow
Malvern

What's for Dinner?
One way to fight hunger [Cover, "Nothing for Dinner," Doron Taussig, Sept. 22, 2005] would be to help people store bulk foods for emergencies of many kinds. In some cultures, families keep hundreds of pounds of rice or other staples to help protect against famine. We should too. Organizations could do a public service by exploring this possibility and helping people obtain supplies if they cannot afford to buy them. We need to change the culture so we don't depend so much on unreliable government and corporate systems for our daily bread.
John S. James
Philadelphia

Spit Tune
Years ago, I lived in the suburbs and I enjoyed the companionship of a dog. While generally quiet throughout the night, she barked at every little thing during the day, so I empathize with Brian Hickey [Philly Blunt, "Dog Play Afternoon," Sept 22, 2005]. But I find it interesting that he cites "people who spit on city sidewalks" as a quality-of-life issue. Every day, thousands of dogs urinate on our sidewalks, front steps and gardens. Philadelphia remains a giant puppy toilet. Isn't this more of a quality-of-life and health issue?
Cathy Layland
Via E-mail