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Planned Parenthood Supporters Dwarf Protesters Downtown Saturday

By Alex Nitkin | October 10, 2015 4:49pm
 About 25 pro-life activists held signs alongside more than 100 pro-choice activists outside the offices of Planned Parenthood at 11 S. Michigan Ave.
About 25 pro-life activists held signs alongside more than 100 pro-choice activists outside the offices of Planned Parenthood at 11 S. Michigan Ave.
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DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin

THE LOOP — A few weeks ago, when friends Elizabeth Harrison and Eleanor Shoshany Anderson noticed plans for a rally against Planned Parenthood circulating around Facebook, they thought they'd plan a counter-protest. What they did not expect, though, was that their own rally would dwarf the original one.

Three sets of opposing rallies stood side-by-side at Planned Parenthood health centers around the city — one in River North, one in Wicker Park, and one in the Loop — and downtown, at least, pro-choice activists outnumbered their pro-life counterparts by about four-to-one.

"We know that these [anti-abortion] protesters are out here a lot, so we just wanted to be here speaking for the millions of women who rely on this care," Anderson said. "We wanted people to know that we represent a silent majority on this."

 About 25 pro-life activists held signs alongside more than 100 pro-choice activists outside the offices of Planned Parenthood at 11 S. Michigan Ave.
About 25 pro-life activists held signs alongside more than 100 pro-choice activists outside the offices of Planned Parenthood at 11 S. Michigan Ave.
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DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin

Organizing mostly through Facebook, Harrison and Shoshany Anderson pulled together about 100 people from feminist, LGBT and disability activist groups to crowd the 0-100 block of South Michigan Avenue. There they waved hand-crafted signs, cheered passersby and chanted slogans like, "Not the church, not the State, women must decide our fate."

By contrast, the two-dozen-or-so pro-life activists beside them were mostly quiet, holding identical pre-printed signs saying "Abortion Takes Human Life" and handing out flyers. Their rally was part of a nationwide protest that spanned 290 cities in all 50 states Saturday.

Anti-abortion groups re-doubled their campaign against Planned Parenthood after a video purported to show one of its executives discussing the sale of fetal tissue for research, which were later proven to be heavily edited.

"The videos stirred a lot of people, and how could they not? They're atrocious," said a woman representing the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, who declined to give her name. "There are hundreds of other women's health care providers in Illinois, and most of them provide better care than Planned Parenthood. So why is the government funding them?"

But many of the women on the other side of the protest identified Planned Parenthood as one of the only health care organizations they felt they could rely on.

Kennedy Healy, a representative of Access Living, a group that advocates for people with disabilities in Chicago, said the group is ahead of the curve when it comes to caring for people like her.

"There are a lot of disparities in health care when it comes to women with disabilities, and the local Planned Parenthood offices have adopted standards that address that," said Healy, who uses a wheelchair. "We're here to show people that [Planned Parenthood] deserves our support."

Likewise, Criage Althage, a transgender woman, said Planned Parenthood is one of the only organizations she could count on to be sensitive to the needs of queer patients.

Harrison, who said she grew up in ultra-conservative Colorado Springs, Colorado, always saw the group as a crucial refuge for women across the country.

"I really believe health care is a human right, and Planned Parenthood provides that in places where it's really needed," Harrison said. "So at the end of the day, this rally isn't trying to be against the other protest — it's really just a way to say 'Thank you.'"

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