Nationwide Protests to Hit Planned Parenthood Facilities Saturday
Anti-abortion protesters are expected to gather at nearly 200 Planned Parenthood facilities across the nation Saturday to rally support for an ongoing effort aimed at urging the federal government to defund the abortion giant.
#ProtestPP, a coalition of state and national pro-life groups primarily sponsored by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Created Equal and the Pro-Life Action League will voice their opposition to the federal funding of Planned Parenthood on Saturday with various forms of protests at the organization's facilities.
"As Congress moves forward with plans to defund Planned Parenthood, citizens will speak up in support of this action on Saturday, Feb. 11. Groups will gather outside nearly 200 Planned Parenthood facilities across the country and the nation's capital for #DefundPP rallies," a statement from the coalition said on Monday.
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Planned Parenthood has received federal taxpayer funding since 1970, and currently receives over $500 million every year for services such as "cancer screening, offering contraception and treating sexually transmitted diseases," according to CBS News.
The rallies on Saturday are expected to point out that 34 percent of U.S. abortions performed by Planned Parenthood underscores the fact that they are not a general healthcare service provider.
The Christian Post previously reported that Planned Parenthood doesn't provide breast cancer screenings to women, which Cecile Richards, the organization's president, admitted to in her sworn testimony during a congressional hearing in 2015, and doesnt provide prenatal healthcare to women who are pregnant and not seeking an abortion.
Amy Whitaker, medical director and vice president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois told the Chicago Reader that she is concerned about the impact the Trump administration will have on the business.
"[Under Barack Obama] we had a president that — if Congress voted to defund Planned Parenthood—he would veto it, and currently, we don't have a president that would do that. Frankly, I'm worried about healthcare and the current government and their commitment to healthcare for all. I am feeling like they don't understand how important it is to provide healthcare for all Americans, regardless of race, income, and gender," she said.
According to a report released last month, 51 audits have found "numerous improper practices" that have resulted in "significant Title XIX-Medicaid overpayments of more than $8.5 million to Planned Parenthood affiliates for family planning and reproductive health services claims."
