Abortion has been a heated controversial topic among American politics and personal belief for many many years. Pro-life advocates and pro-choice supporters have been battling it out and no clear median seems to be coming into view. However, this summer an anti-abortion group released up to eight videos of Planned Parenthood representatives meeting to discuss selling fetal organs including hearts and brains to make money from them. The release of these videos fueled the protests of thousands of pro-life supporters while also sparking a concern in people who originally felt indifferent towards the issue of abortion.
Pro-life protests have increased in numbers dramatically following the release of the Planned Parenthood videos. These protests have been occurring in major towns and cities such as Denver, a D.C. suburb, St. Paul, and many more. The pro-life protests can range in size to a few hundred to thousands of people. The supporters who attend these events view the Planned Parenthood actions illegal and cruel. Even though they once already supported pro-life, after the videos these supporters decided to attack Planned Parenthood and do everything in their power to stop the funding for the institution. The main argument behind the protests is that any time someone decides to abort a baby, it is considered murder no matter the circumstances. They also see the selling of fetal organs as illegal. "Anytime you kill a child it's evil. It's called murder, We know that life begins at conception" stated Greg Watkins, the mayor of Shasta Lake. Many people who attended the pro-life protests were first time attendees. At one rally, the participants were asked to raise their hand if they were a first timer and an alarming number of people raised their hand. Even Mike Huckabee added onto the comments mentioning that there are two victims, one being the mother who will suffer from guilt years later and then the fetus being aborted.
On the other side of the argument, Planned Parenthood stepped forward at these anti-abortion protests and started to hand out pink t-shirts with the message "I stand with Planned Parenthood" printed across them. Obviously the leading argument in support of abortion is the fact that it is a woman's choice to decide whether or not she wants to carry a child. This argument has been the leading argument for years. While the anti-abortion protests claim their main goal is to shut down Planned Parenthood institutions, the pro abortion groups claim that the only motivation of the protests is to make abortion illegal entirely. Behind the pro-choice arguments stands the argument that Planned Parenthood does so much more for women than most people think. Planned Parenthood provides services such as cancer screening, family planning and free birth control for the ones who cannot afford it. A pro-choice supporter Julieta Slater commented "Many women come here not for abortions. Abortion is the minimum of services they are giving here. Planned Parenthood support is not about being a mother, it is a health care necessity."
In my opinion, I side with the pro-choice supporters. I believe that it is up to a woman to decide whether or not she wants the child that she will be carrying. While most people call it murder, I just think that a fetus that is under developed and has not even formed a conscious yet is not considered murder. In terms of Planned Parenthood, I completely support funding for the institution and I think without funding, it would hurt more than it would help. Planned Parenthood is an essential part of some women's lives and only 2% of women than go into Planned Parenthood get an abortion. I am also indifferent in regards to the selling of the organs. I am not necessarily for or against the issue of the videos.
http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/prolife-and-prochoice-advocates-speak-out/34865728
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Planned-Parenthood-debate-heats-up-in-Augusta-322598861.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/16/politics/mike-huckabee-abortion-paraguay/index.html
