On Saturday, February 11th, pro-life Americans across the nation gathered at local Planned Parenthood locations to show their support for defunding the abortion giant.
The #DefundPP rallies, which were organized by the #ProtestPP coalition, boasts backers like the Pro-Life Action League, 40 Days for Life, and over 60 other pro-life organizations.
According to the Pro-Life Action League, the rallies were initially going to be postponed until the fall of 2017, but the GOP’s announcement that they would work to defund Planned Parenthood caused the Coalition to push up the date to show public support for the congressional effort.
Those attending the rallies proposed redirecting federal funds for women’s health services to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FHQCs) instead of Planned Parenthood.
When reporting on the topic of defunding Planned Parenthood, news outlets conveniently forget to mention the thousands of Federally Qualified Health Centers that offer many women’s health services except for abortions. In fact, the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that these FQHCs served eight times more individuals than Planned Parenthood in fiscal years 2010-2012. The Institute also found that there are 9,170 FQHCs, compared to the 700 Planned Parenthood locations around the United States. In reality, defunding Planned Parenthood would not restrict access or funding to true women’s health services.
Overall, the rallies were a resounding success. Over 228 rallies were held in 45 states. In Washington, rallies were held in Kennewick, Kent, Olympia, Pullman, Seattle, and Wenatchee (Spokane’s rally had to be pushed back due to inclement weather). The Wenatchee rally counted 125 people in attendance with approximately 10 who showed up in opposition to the rally.
