Justice was being called for, as thousands of Americans across the nation joined together to protest the scandalous actions of Planned Parenthood.
On the morning of April 23, citizens rallied outside of more than 300 Planned Parenthood facilities nationwide, not just to challenge the horrific acts of the nation’s leading abortion provider, but to demand a suspension of government funding for the organization. According to Planned Parenthood’s 2013-2014 Annual Report, an outrageous $528.4 million of their revenue came from taxpayer funding.
#ProtestPP, the coalition that organized the event, was created in response to the videos released last year by the Center for Medical Progress revealing the abortion giant’s heinous practice of trafficking aborted baby parts. The coalition is made up of state and national pro-life groups, headed by three national pro-life activist organizations: Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Created Equal, and the Pro-Life Action League. #ProtestPP also calls to light the injustice of the charges against David Daleiden, the undercover journalist who courageously infiltrated Planned Parenthood and showed America the underbelly of this massive beast. Daleiden should be applauded, at the least, for his fortitude and diligence as he sat through conversation after conversation enduring the grisly boastings of the organization’s bloodthirsty leaders, in order to present the truth to a duped society. However, in a twisted turn of events, we find him the criminal, as the truth gets distorted and the facts get manipulated by those with hidden agendas.
Because distortion and manipulation of this type has found its way into the minds and actions of our society at large, it becomes necessary for those who know the truth to share it with others. At the rallies throughout America on Saturday, the speakers with #ProtestPP did just that.
In Richmond, Virginia, Leslie Blackwell – Virginia regional co-coordinator of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign — was the #ProtestPP organizer. A former radical feminist, and having had two abortions of her own, Blackwell was, at one time, very supportive of what has become known as a “woman’s choice.” In fact, she was a month away from becoming a board member of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood when she experienced a major heart change. Blackwell now uses her time and talent to defend life and bring awareness to the pain of abortion.
The protest in Richmond took place outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Hamilton Street, where more than 2,000 unborn babies were murdered in 2014. It is also where Governor Terry McAuliffe recently vetoed the bill to defund Planned Parenthood in Virginia.
“This organization should not be receiving any taxpayer funding for any reason and Governor Terry McAuliffe should be ashamed for his recent ceremonial veto at this very Planned Parenthood location,”stated Blackwell.
The peaceful, but enthusiastic demonstration drew both positive and negative responses as passers-by honked their horns or booed loudly, with nearly 150 supporters lining the 200 block of N. Hamilton Street.
At the demonstration was Fiat Ministries, streaming live, and delegate David LaRock, 33rd House of Representatives District, sharing his pro-life stance and encouraging people to vote pro-life, as well as various other speakers. Within earshot of the workers who would occasionally step outside and the officers from the six police cars stationed in the clinic’s parking lot, these defenders of life boldly shared their stories.
Andie Pearson, Virginia co-coordinator of Silent No More, told of her three abortions and the pain that haunted her for many years after. She spoke of the cold and unfriendly environment she was surrounded by after her first abortion and of the shame and pain of the other young women around her as no one made eye contact, but suffered alone.
Dr. David Russell, author of Through My Father’s Eyes, What Every Man (and Woman) Should Know About Abortion, challenged the idea that abortion is all about a woman’s choice, as he shared his sad experience as a young father who chose abortion for his child and now regrets his decision.
Eliminating the notion that rape is a valid reason for abortion, Richmond Radio and Internet Blogger/Host, Craig Johnson told his history of being conceived in a situation of rape. His mother chose life for him, though, he laments, he later went on to choose to abort his own child conceived out of marriage.
Michael Lewis gave a moving speech discrediting the pro-abortion idea that children with disabilities are of no value and, therefore, more worthy of abortion. Having cerebral palsy owing to a traumatic birth, doctors told Lewis’ parents that he would never walk or talk as he should. Defying the odds, he has gone beyond walking and talking to being a husband, father, and lobbyist, living a fully functional life. Defending the value of life, he adamantly states, “No mere mortal has the right to decide what constitutes a life worth living.”
Offering adoption as an option to abortion, Callie Jett, founder/CEO of Let’s Talk Adoption (open adoption), shared her encouraging story of hope. She described her fears as a pregnant teen 13 years ago, with no place to go and no way to support herself. Finding a pro-life pamphlet, clearly overlooked, in the waiting room of a Planned Parenthood clinic showing the stages of growth of a baby in utero, she decided not to abort. Through a series of events, Jett decided to choose adoption for her son, whom she has been in contact with from the beginning and who was also at the rally on Saturday, along with his adopted mother.
Though very different people, from very different backgrounds, these speakers have a commonality. They each, through their individual experiences, dispel myths that Planned Parenthood and its allies spread to the world. The truth is, abortion is emotionally devastating. Men are affected by abortion. Rape is not a justification for abortion. A child with disabilities has just as much a right to life as a completely healthy one. And, there are alternatives to abortion.
In response to the #ProtestPP rally, Planned Parenthood of Virginia said this:
Planned Parenthood’s top priority is the health and safety of our patients. For the women, men, and young people we serve, the care we provide isn’t about politics – it’s about their well-being. Our dedicated health center staff work to ensure that women and families are able to access affordable, high-quality health care in a safe and caring environment.
These protests are designed to shame the patients who seek basic health care services from Planned Parenthood and to intimidate the health care professionals who work here. The bottom line is that everyone should be able to get health care without fear of violence, harassment, or intimidation.
If we are to believe that this organization’s “top priority” is the health and safety of its patients, then we are to suspend logic and reason. As Pearson recalled in her speech, each patient was laid on a hospital type gurney in a cold room where no one even came to check on the patients. There are no follow up appointments at a Planned Parenthood clinic, therefore any complications from botched abortions are not reported. These women that Planned Parenthood claims are so important are sent to another doctor or, more often, the emergency room to be treated after receiving “high-quality health care.”
While their claim that “everyone should be able to get healthcare without fear of violence, harassment, or intimidation,” rings true enough, further examination of this organization’s practices would reveal a bit of hypocrisy. Life News reports:
According to the president of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Directors’ Council, abortionist Mary Gatter, “maybe 60% to 70%, but a large percent of patients we approached would say yes” to having their aborted babies’ body parts harvested.
Gatter admits to asking patients to harvest their baby’s body parts.
Mental gymnastics are not required to realize that having a salesperson on hand to pounce on an already emotionally distraught young woman to ask her whether or not she would like to sell her dead baby’s body parts would cross into the realm of harassment and probably be a little intimidating. Nor are those same gymnastics required to recognize the real motivation for this industry’s actions. Planned Parenthood has built an empire with blood money on the backs of the innocent unborn, and more and more people are being motivated to action.
After two national days of protest held by #ProtestPP in 2015, over 20 Planned Parenthood facilities closed and nine states voted to defund the organization. This year’s protest was the first annual event organized, and is to be held on the fourth Saturday of April every year until Planned Parenthood “no longer preys upon our communities,” according to the coalition’s website.
May our voices be heard and our actions make a difference, as we seek to defend the defenseless.
