A small faction of Austin residents have begun a campaign to “Keep Abortion Weird,” in an effort to maintain the vibrant and eclectic culture of local abortion clinics. With Texas abortion laws and regulations being hotly contested this year, many in Austin are concerned that their quirky, independently owned clinics might be under threat.
Group organizers are worried that looser abortion laws might invite corporate interests to the field. “From the Mom-and-Pop shops to your best friend’s cousin in East Riverside, we want people to be able to get abortions through the authentic local businesses that have been supplying them for years,” says the founder of the KAW movement, Dave Clayton. “We don’t want big-box abortion centers springing up all over the place, like McDonalds or Wal-mart.”
“When I got my abortion in 2008, it was at this adorable little clinic in East Austin where they had barbecue and live music playing outside. Things have already changed so much since then,” says Mary Anne Leeds. “I’d hate for someone else to have to go through the procedure in a more clinical environment.”
Leed’s preferred clinic, called No Baby Belly, still serves clients a selection of locally brewed beers before and after their abortion procedures.
“We just do abortion a little bit weirder here in Austin,” says proprietress and surgeon Dr. “Ma” Wilson, standing underneath the clinic’s rusty metal awning.
