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Photo By Jymi Bolden
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Debi Jackson, executive director of Cincinnati
women's Services: "Every woman already has it in her
to make the right decision about abortion."
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Informed consent and a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for an abortion might have been politically motivated, a way to discourage Ohio women from having the procedure; but one clinic uses the requirement as an opportunity to better serve its patients.
More than a 15 or 20-minute explanation is in order for such an important decision, according to Debi Jackson, executive director of Cincinnati Women's Services. A brief, same-day session can't begin to address the emotional, spiritual and psychological issues pregnancies and abortions bring up, she says.
Cincinnati Women's Services, which provides a range of gynecological services, leads women to bring up the issues they haven't talked about or don't want to.
Are you religious, and what does your religion believe about abortion? Do you understand adoption? Do you believe abortion is murder? If these kinds of questions aren't asked before an abortion, Jackson says, they can haunt a woman for years afterward.
"It's a literal life-and-death decision," she says. "If it's scary, that's the place you get to go."
Jackson requires each woman to talk to an "advocate" -- she prefers that term to "counselor" -- at least two days before getting an abortion. Most visits last 20 to 45 minutes.
One recent patient, a 22-year-old mother of a 2-year-old, demonstrated the value of Jackson's advocacy, according to Alexi Wood, the clinic's assistant director.
The young woman, a Christian, was leaning toward an abortion, Wood says, but seemed to be pressured by her partner. After a day of thought, she decided not to have an abortion, because she believed God opposes abortion. But then, after praying about the issue, she decided to proceed with the abortion, concluding the baby's spirit would go to heaven.
"At another clinic, those issues would have never come up," Wood says.
Two pamphlets mandated by the state lean toward the pro-life perspective, using photos that make a fetus look as much like a baby as possible and listing pro-life counseling centers next to independent abortion clinics. The Tristate has about a dozen such pro-life counseling centers, Jackson says.
Cincinnati Women's Services supplements the state's pamphlets with an 88-page workbook about pregnancy options, dealing with everything from what friends and family will think to the risks of pregnancy and abortion to parenting. The workbook includes five pages of questions dedicated to what a woman is feeling.
Jackson also hands out some decidedly pro-choice flyers and other information. One flyer compares the risks of abortion and pregnancy, claiming women are 12 times more likely to have complications from pregnancies than from abortions.
Even the clinic's décor is part of its advocacy. Cincinnati Women's Services doesn't look like a typical medical office. The interior walls are a welcoming red. Small water fountains produce a comforting trickle as women sit in a few rows of chairs facing the front door. The lights are soft.
Jackson, a Dayton native, began working at the clinic eight years ago and bought it one year later. Located in Walnut Hills near Eden Park, it has 17 staff members, from full-time doctors to part-time advocates. Each advocate undergoes six months of training.
Even as a child, Jackson didn't subscribe to straightforward religious doctrine. For example, she never understood how Adam, after he ate the apple, could blame Eve for his mistake because she offered it to him.
"I was not popular in Sunday school," Jackson says. "I asked the questions they didn't have answers for."
Jackson studied biology at the University of Cincinnati, leaving for financial reasons, then worked off-air in radio and television. She gradually became a pro-choice activist, spending three years escorting patients inside abortion clinics.
The whole point of her advocacy, Jackson says, is to show women they shouldn't let others make a decision for them, whether it's about abortion, contraception or anything else.
"Every woman already has it in her to make the right decision," she says. ©
