Protests Against Planned Parenthood Held Nationwide To 'Educate Americans About What Abortion Actually Does'
FERNDALE (WWJ) -- To protest abortion and the harvesting of fetal tissue of medical research, groups nationwide gathered on Saturday outside Planned Parenthood clinics, including in Metro Detroit.
Protests were held at 14 Michigan sites of Planned Parenthood, part of nationwide protests at 290 locations. A coalition of more than 50 pro-life groups looked to create awareness of abortion and the sale of aborted materials.
Protester Barb Yagley of Troy, campaign director for 40-Days for Life, was at a protest in Ferndale.
"I think these events will continue on until there's enough of an outcry that Planned Parenthood actually reforms their operation and stops committing these abuses," Yagley said.
Last month, Planned Parenthood came under fire after the release of two videos that allegedly show officials discussing how it provides aborted fetal organs for research.
The health care provider says the practice is completely legal. The fetal tissue is used for research to make advances in the treatment of Alzheimers and Parkinson diseases.
"The short-term goal here really is to educate the American public about what abortion actually does to the child that's within the womb and that it's not just a blob of tissue, and to ask Planned Parenthood to reform themselves," Yagley said.
A push to defund Planned Parenthood is underway in Lansing as state Senator Patrick Colbeck of Canton is sponsoring a bill to cut off taxpayer funding.
"If you're Christian, this is an organization that is encouraging people to violate five out of the 10 Commandments," Yagley said. "To me, it's very incredible that any Christian could support Planned Parenthood, seeing that they're doing so much to undermine what God's Commandments are."
Planned Parenthood provides contraception and cancer screenings for millions of Americans. It says abortions make up three percent of their work and no federal taxpayer money goes to funding the procedures.
