Rallies defend, decry Planned Parenthood funding

As federal funding for Planned Parenthood comes under fire in Washington, D.C., activists rallied in Yonkers Tuesday in support of the nonprofit and the women it serves. Outside, other protesters voiced

News 12 Staff

Aug 19, 2015, 1:33 AM

Updated 3,181 days ago

Share:

Rallies defend, decry Planned Parenthood funding
As federal funding for Planned Parenthood comes under fire in Washington, D.C., activists rallied in Yonkers Tuesday in support of the nonprofit and the women it serves.
Outside, other protesters voiced their opposition to the organization.
A controversial video posted on the Internet by an anti-abortion group purports to show the organization selling fetal organs, but women who have used Planned Parenthood's services say the nonprofit has changed their lives for the better.
Nicole Clarke, now a real estate broker, says that Planned Parenthood services she received as a teen saved her life and preserved her health.
"If you don't have insurance or anything, they give you the necessary information that your parents didn't want to talk to you about," Clarke says.
Planned Parenthood supporters say the viral video is a political attack against the organization.
"We are standing with Planned Parenthood," Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, told supporters at a news conference Tuesday. 
Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, an anti-abortion advocate, says that he supports the existing ban on public funding being spent on abortions.
Public funding that Planned Parenthood currently receives is limited to the other services the group offers, but that hasn't stopped opponents from calling for cuts.
Clarke says those services are vital for many young women.
"Planned Parenthood was the safe haven where we could go," she says.


More from News 12