A national day of protest took place Saturday at Planned Parenthoods across the United States as the federal and local governments are being asked to defund the abortion giant.
Though there has been an ongoing call for an end to tax payer funding of Planned Parenthood for years, Saturday’s rallies came in response to a series of undercover videos that have been released in recent weeks, exposing the organization’s use of fetal tissue.
Five states have already defunded the abortion group: Arkansas, Utah, Alabama, Louisiana, and New Hampshire.
Aug. 22 also marked the beginning of a prayer and fasting campaign announced by Priests for Life and other pro-life groups.
The rallies were held at more than 300 Planned Parenthood locations as well as internationally.
A range of pro-life individuals and organizations participated, many of them faith-based, but some who are not.
For example, the group Secular Pro-Life had this message on its Facebook page: “This morning, pro-lifers are gathering at over 300 protest sites across the United States. For many of you, this is a time of prayer. Not for me. My name is Terrisa Bukonivac Lopez, and I am a pro-life atheist. I’m here representing the organization Secular Pro-Life. There are more non-religious pro-lifers out there than you might think. I am here because I feel I have an ethical duty to speak out. […] This morning, the pro-life movement is united. Because whatever your religion, whatever your race, whatever your gender, whatever your age, we all feel the same emotions when we watch those videos. Horror. Shock. Anger. And above all, grief for those who have lost their lives.”
