Planned Parenthood critics, backers rally in Tempe, Mesa

Rallies against Planned Parenthood are being held across the country this weekend, including five in Arizona, some of which were drawing counterprotests in support of the organization.

Anti-abortion activists began organizing the nationwide Rally to Defund Planned Parenthood for Feb. 11 shortly after the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches across the country and around the world on Jan. 21. Anti-abortion activists said they were denied a role in the Women's March after organizers took a stance in support of abortion rights. 

The weekend rallies are intended to encourage Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, according to protestpp.com, which states that rallies were planned outside more than 200 Planned Parenthood clinics in 45 states.

Tempe rally: Peaceful, separated

Several hundred opponents and supporters lined the corner of Dorsey Lane and Apache Boulevard outside Planned Parenthood's Tempe Health Center on Saturday morning, remaining peaceful and sticking to separate sides of the street.

A group of anti-abortion activists repeated prayers while holding "Defend Life" and "Choose Life" signs. Planned Parenthood supporters formed a sea of pink on the corner closest to the clinic.

Lisa Blevins, who organized the anti-Planned Parenthood protesters, said she has protested at the Planned Parenthood Tempe location every weekend for more than a year.

"We're peaceful, prayful people. We are based on prayer. We respond to them (the other protesters) by praying for and blessing them," she said. "We listen to them and we stay in peaceful prayer." 

The number of participants on each side varied throughout the day, but Tempe police spokeswoman Josie Montenegro said "the top number was about 300." 

Amber Squires, one of the organizers of the pro-Planned Parenthood group, said she also is here every weekend but was happy to see the much larger attendance this Saturday.

As the morning progressed, some people switched sides of the street, mingling with and talking to those on the other side of the issue. Some counterprotesters wore bright pink vests labeling them as “escorts” to help any patients leave the clinic.

"The fact that people here are talking about both sides in a very peaceful manner in public is amazing," said Planned Parenthood of Arizona spokeswoman Tayler Tucker. "Today is a great example of how we can express our First Amendment rights respectfully and peacefully."

Mesa rally: All anti-Planned Parenthood

About 150 people supporting the 40 Days for Life and Arizona Bikers for Life organizations rallied outside the Mesa Planned Parenthood clinic in opposition to Planned Parenthood.

Aside from the shouting, honks, and an occasional lewd hand gesture from passers-by, the Stop Planned Parenthood protest was peaceful as participants prayed and held up their signs.

"Today's protest is about defunding Planned Parenthood because we don't want our taxpayer dollars to fund abortions," said Sister Mary Agnes, a preschool teacher at a Catholic school in Mesa. "It's about how we support women with other resources, whether they choose to parent or if it's post abortion."

Nancy Elder, a retired nurse from Des Moines, Iowa, who spends her winters in Mesa, said she disagrees with abortion-rights advocates.

"I love them because Jesus loves them, but we have a right to disagree and to support our organization," she said. 

Event organizer Jose Calzadilla said he was happy to see so many men participating. Just under half of the protesters at the Mesa event were men. 

"It has been a peaceful and prayerful protest," he said. "We come together to pray and peacefully protest for those who have no voice." 

Mary Azamy of Mesa said she was there to speak up for children with developmental disabilities. 

"It's easy to sit down and say why can't someone else say something," she said. "I'm a mom of a special needs child. ... So I'm here." 

Shirley Tormey of Ahwatukee Foothills said she doesn't believe that Planned Parenthood provides services beyond abortions and pregnancy tests, and she disagrees with federal funding for them as a health-care provider. 

Protests were also held Saturday in Flagstaff and Tucson. 

There also is a #ProtestPP rally scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 a.m Sunday and a counterprotest 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Glendale Health Center, 5771 W. Eugie Ave. The rally and the counterprotest are scheduled for Sunday because the Glendale location is closed Saturdays. 

What do taxes really fund?

While Planned Parenthood does perform abortions, state and federal funds are not allowed to be used to pay for them except in cases of rape or incest or when a woman’s life is in danger.

MORE: Planned Parenthood, allies ready for battle over government funding

Planned Parenthood received $553.7 million in federal funding in 2014. The majority of the money comes by way of reimbursement for traditional health-care services the centers provide to Medicaid patients, including cancer screenings and pap smears. 

Arizona lawmakers have not introduced any legislation yet this session aiming to defund abortion providers, but these bills have been common — and often successful — in prior years.

Last year, the Legislature passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law two major bills that:

•  Prohibit state employees from deducting from their paycheck any donations to a charity that performs a “nonfederally qualified abortion.” Planned Parenthood was cut off from the state's charitable-giving program in 2015 following a decision by the State Employee Charitable Campaign, chaired by Ducey. In 2014, Planned Parenthood received $7,410 from 48 state employees, the Governor's Office has said.
•  Exclude from the state’s Medicaid program any organization that that has committed any one of a number of violations, including been found liable for neglect of a patient that results in death or injury; engaged in the unlawful disposal of medical waste; submitted a claim for a procedure performed in an association with an abortion in violation of federal law; failed to segregate tax dollars from abortions, including the use of taxpayer dollars for any overhead associated with abortion; failed to comply with federal or state laws requiring reporting of sexual abuse, sexual assault or child abuse. The decision to exclude an organization would be up to the AHCCCS director.

Planned Parenthood of Arizona and the ACLU of Arizona sued, but later withdrew the lawsuit after state officials agreed to put the law on hold while the state crafted implementation rules — something they said could take a couple of years.

The 2016 law was an attempt to address the defunding effort in a new way. A prior attempt to defund Planned Parenthood failed when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared unconstitutional a 2012 law to prevent abortion providers from getting any money from Arizona's Medicaid program, AHCCCS, even if it was to cover non-abortion health-care services.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System has spent an average of $355,200 a year on Planned Parenthood services through fiscal 2014, according to data provided by the Legislature's budget office. Of that amount, $57,500, or 16 percent, is state taxpayer money. The rest comes from federal funding.