Planned Parenthood fights critics with rallies, including Atlanta

Source: Planned Parenthood Southeast

Planned Parenthood, battered by incendiary videos and criticism from presidential candidates and those who believe that life is holy from the moment of conception, is holding rallies, social media campaigns and celebrations of its services across the country Tuesday, including a rally by the chapter that oversees services in Georgia at the state Capitol in downtown Atlanta.

While the event wasn’t widely publicized, the noon rally at the Capitol is a “honk and wave” event meant to show the Georgia Legislature that the people of Georgia support Planned Parenthood.

"The truth is that Planned Parenthood has done nothing wrong," said Staci Fox, CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast, which oversees Planned Parenthood clinics and services in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. "These videos are deceptive and highly misleading," Fox said of the images that surfaced this summer, in which a national Planned Parenthood executive discusses the selling of fetal body parts.

Fox said the video that Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has featured in national ads came from a "stolen image off someone's Facebook page," and is being used to stoke fury toward the group, which she said is more focused on women's health than abortions.

Genevieve Wilson, co-executive director of Georgia Right to Life, which opposes abortions, said Tuesday's activities are only a stunt to distract people from Planned Parenthood's lifeline — which she said is the aborting of fetuses and the selling of fetal parts for profit.

“They are trying to deflect the true nature of these videos,” said Wilson. “It’s a publicity stunt … to take away from the fact that they kill children.”

Killing Fetuses for Money?

That view, of course, is at the crux of the conflict. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973 that a woman has a right to an abortion, those who believe that life begins at conception have vehemently argued that a fetus has rights, too.

For more than 40 years, the issue has divided people of good — and sometimes ill — will on either side. A few who support the view that life begins at conception have bombed abortion clinics, raising the ire of those who strongly believe that a woman has a right to choose what to do with her body.

Planned Parenthood has been a target of abortion foes for years. The group provides testing for sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and Pap smears. In some facilities, however, it also performs abortions.

Rancor against Planned Parenthood exploded to a new high this year when an anti-abortion group filmed discussions with a Planned Parenthood medical executive about the sale of fetal tissue used for research. The video made it appear that the non-profit is killing fetuses so it can make money.

For Some, a Lifesaver

But Jen Rafanan, 40, of Gainesviille said Planned Parenthood saved her sanity — if not her life. She didn’t seek pregnancy counseling or abortion services. She needed help knowing what was going on with her body.

When she was 35, she began having long menstrual periods and a lot of pain. She had a job but no health insurance. The problem went on so long that she developed panic attacks.

She tried to go to the Hall County Health Department, but it would have taken three months for an appointment, she said.

A friend suggested Planned Parenthood’s Wednesday morning clinic in Atlanta, where there would be only a few hours’ wait rather than a few months’.

“I can’t imagine what that experience would have been like for me without Planned Parenthood,” Rafanan said.

‘A Clean, Shining Report’

Planned Parenthood has become a huge issue among Republican candidates, and a government shutdown was even considered.

"I think, sadly, the GOP has decided to demonize Planned Parenthood, but I don't think that represents the majority at all," said state Sen. Nan Orrock, (D-Atlanta). The videos, she said, "were very deliberate and intended to add fuel to the fire."

Orrock said she supports the group for the work it does in preventing abortion — through its family planning services.

She said she went to Planned Parenthood in her 20s, as did many women her age, to receive contraception and other women’s health services, such as routine pelvic exams.

Orrock noted that, in Georgia, a weeks-long investigation by the Departments of Public Health and Community Health cleared Planned Parenthood Southeast of any wrongdoing in Georgia.

To those voters who might question her about the group, Orrock said she would say, "Listen, friend, neighbor, our governor asked for reports, and Planned Parenthood came back with a clean and shining report. I would say listen to that."

‘Don’t Support Them at All’

Another legislator, state Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), begs to differ.

Unterman said she does not support any work of Planned Parenthood. The health care advocate said she believes the agency develops relationships with women so that it can profit from the abortion side of their business.

“They are trying to make up for their bad publicity,” Unterman said. “I don’t support them at all.”

When asked about the services the group provides to low-income women, Unterman said county health departments can do the same thing, as well as federally qualified health centers.

This article reported in error that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms. It does not provide that service, and the article has been corrected.