Franklin Graham has said that raising money for the abortion agency Planned Parenthood is like 'raising money to fund a Nazi death camp'.
Graham made the comments in in response to the efforts of Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W Bush to raise support for the organisation, the Christian Post reports.
'Planned Parenthood is the #1 abortion provider in the United States. Raising funds for this organization is like raising money to fund a Nazi death camp—like Auschwitz, except for innocent babies in their mother's wombs!' Graham wrote on Facebook.
His comment accompanied a post sharing the news that Barabara Pierce Bush would be giving the keynote speech at Planned Parenthood's 2017 Fort Worth Annual Luncheon on Wednesday. Bush's support of the controversial reproductive health non-profit, particularly as the daughter of conservative George W Bush, may come as a surprise to some.
The Texas fundraiser is expected to welcome about 2,000 guests, and tickets can cost between $150 to $20,000 for a table.
Graham added: 'Reports say they perform over 300,000 abortions per year. And this is the organisation whose employees were caught on video trying to sell baby body parts over wine. Disgusting.'
Bush, 35, is the co-founder and CEO of Global Health Corps (GHC), an organisation that promotes health equity across the world. Bush has spoken about her support of Planned Parenthood before, and GHC already partners with various affiliates of the group, such as Planned Parenthood Global, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia.
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards told Buzzfeed that Bush's attendance is 'really exciting'.
'It's huge, and such a diverse crowd, a lot of elected officials, a lot of Republican sort of first families ... I don't know if she's ever spoke at any [Planned Parenthood] event before,' she said.
Bush spoke to the New York Times last summer about her work in global health.
She said: 'So many young people want to work on social change. They want to do good. Global Health started because this great talent pipeline was not moving into health care. It's hard to know how you fit in if you're not a doctor or nurse. If we can demystify that and create channels into Planned Parenthood and other exceptional organizations, then we'll have an army of people working to solve health problems.'
Bush's support faces further opposition from pro-life groups such as 40 Days for Life-Dallas , who plan to protest the event. The organisation posted on Facebook: 'This Wednesday, March 1, Barbara Bush (G.W. Bush's daughter) will be the keynote speaker at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser at the Omni in Ft. Worth. We need to send a clear message to them, which is that WE DON'T NEED PLANNED PARENTHOOD!'
Another pro-life group, Students for Life of America, posted: 'President Bush advocated for life during his presidency and this is an opportunity for the #ProLifeGen to announce that WE DON'T NEED PLANNED PARENTHOOD by protesting the event.'
