This is a column about a politician who is as passionate in his support for abortion rights as I am in my opposition to abortion.
A few days ago, State Rep. Brian Sims, who represents parts of Center City, filmed video of himself engaging with a woman — or to use his own words, "an old white lady" — praying the rosary in front of the Planned Parenthood surgical center at 11th and Locust Streets. In the nearly nine-minute video, Sims yells with increasing aggression at the woman. "Shame on you. What you're doing here is disgusting. It's wrong," he says to her while pacing alongside her as she calmly walks along the sidewalk. As the video continues, he admonishes her, "Don't convince yourself that what you're doing isn't extremely racist. It's grotesque."
We don't know what happened before the video began, but it's common to see protesters in front of this Planned Parenthood location. Sometimes they yell at the women entering the building. Sometimes they hand out pro-life literature. Sometimes they stand silently and pray the rosary.
