On February 11, Planned Parenthood clinics across the United States were protested by a myriad of anti-choice organizations rallying under the hashtag #ProtestPP. The goal of the protest was to push legislatures to defund Planned Parenthood.
The attack on poor people’s right to healthcare and women’s right to abortion was quickly noted by the Resistance. Access to healthcare was defended by an expansive community of comrades, friends, neighbors, family, Planned Parenthood workers, patients and pets who rallied together to protect Planned Parenthood against anti-choice organizations. In Sacramento, and surrounding counties, the Party for Socialism and Liberation had a noticeable presence in defending Planned Parenthood.
Together we rallied with chants like, “Resist, persist, Planned Parenthood must exist.”
Defunding Planned Parenthood is about more than abortion. It’s about blocking access to health care for low-income people. Planned Parenthood provides more than reproductive and sexual health care, as important as such care is. Some clinics also provide primary care services, pediatric care, transgender services and more. You don’t see pro-lifers protesting UC Davis Med Center, Kaiser, Sutter Health, etc. Yet these institutions provide many of the same services as Planned Parenthood. This leads one to conclude these rightwing protestors really want to block access healthcare to the low-income people who rely on Planned Parenthood because they do not have anywhere else to go.
It is important to recognize the impact income inequality has on health inequity. Wealth inequity leads to health inequity. Many at the protests here in Sacramento held signs advocating for “Women’s health regardless of wealth.”
Throughout Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the United States, which includes numerous clinics in the Sacramento and Bay Area in California, Planned Parenthood clinics on Feb. 11 had more supporters than protesters. This shows the importance of mobilizing and unifying a community for the collective good.
Of the 16 sites within PPMM more than 5,277 supporters were counted while protesters were only able to draw out a collective crowd of approximately 228. Together we made our voices heard; we stand with Planned Parenthood. The people united will never be defeated.
