Joined by male protesters, hundreds of women who felt "betrayed" by abortion service provider Planned Parenthood gathered in front of the US Capitol in Washington on Tuesday to denounce the deceptive activities of the company.
"I have a lot of young women friends, and I'm very concerned about how Planned Parenthood might exploit them, how Planned Parenthood might exploit me if I had an unplanned pregnancy," Christina Yao, a student at UMBC in Maryland, told the Catholic News Agency.
"There are women being betrayed and profited off when they're in crisis situations, when we should be giving them help," added Lisa Twigg, social media coordinator for Life Matters Journal. "I think this is offensive to me as a feminist."
The two joined the "Women Betrayed" rally which called for an end to the company's US federal funding following the release of a series of undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of foetal body parts.
Many women believe that Planned Parenthood is not really a health service provider since it is being run by people who betray women by selling foetal parts "harvested" from them after undergoing abortion procedures. Michele Hendrickson, regional director for Students for Life of America, said they need to protest because "they [Planned Parenthood officials and workers] are not there to help women—they're out there for money. They push abortion to make money off of it."
Meg McDonnell, communications director for Women Speak For Themselves, slammed Planned Parenthood for risking the lives of women by altering abortion procedures just to get their desired body parts.
"For decades, women have gone to Planned Parenthood seeking help while in a vulnerable and desperate place," McDonnell said, adding that the company only cares about getting the parts they want "even if the altering of the procedure is more dangerous to the woman."
"This is not freedom. This is women betrayed yet again," she said.
