SPOKANE, Wash.- Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho (PPGWNI) is requesting financial support rather than counter-protests at their facilities, which the organization argues are unproductive.
The anti-abortion advocacy group Church at Planned Parenthood paid $850,000 in legal fees and an additional $110,000 in fines for impeding access to healthcare at Planned Parenthood facilities after a Spokane County court case last year.
In a Feb. 14 social media post, PPGWNI announced their Pledge a Protester drive, which invites supporters to donate to the organization in lieu of appearing at a facility to counter-protest.
The fundraising effort is reminiscent of a 2016 national campaign which encouraged donations to Planned Parenthood in Vice President Mike Pence’s name.
PPGWNI Communications Manager Mack Smith explained the reasoning for dissuading actual counter-protests at reproductive health facilities.
“While we understand it’s frustrating to see anti-abortion protesters, we discourage our supporters from holding counter-protests outside our health centers because any form of protest outside of our health centers, even in support, is not beneficial to our patients who are simply trying to access their health care,” Smith said.
Since the federal right to abortion was overturned in 2022, Republican lawmakers have pivoted to restricting access within states. A bill currently before the Idaho legislature would limit current rape and incest exemptions in the state’s current abortion ban law.
PPGWNI argues that donations are the best way to ensure that current providers continue to operate in a post-Roe context.
“As more states move to restrict or all-out ban access to reproductive health care, we’re seeing more pressure both locally and nationally to squeeze out remaining providers…That’s why we’re calling on our supporters to be louder than the minority of people who are working to intimidate us and our patients with our Pledge a Protestor fundraiser,” Smith said.
The fundraising campaign will last through March 24.
