Press Release 03-07-13: Planned Parenthood Stands Up to Protestors by “Turning Lemons into Lemonade”

Fourth Annual Pledge-a-Protest campaign plans to counteract protesters fury with help from supporters

Wilmington, DE -- Planned Parenthood of Delaware is pleased to announce the fourth year of its Pledge-a-Protest campaign.  Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country use Pledge-a-Protest to counteract protests in which extremists outside of Planned Parenthood clinics harass clients, employees, and volunteers.  The goal of these protests is to discourage clients from visiting Planned Parenthood health centers; Planned Parenthood’s goal is to continue providing the vital health care and education to the communities we serve, no matter what.

“Our 2013 Pledge-a-Protest campaign began in February and ends on March 24,” said Ruth Lytle-Barnaby, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Delaware.  ”This coincides with 40 straight days of planned protests at two of our health centers in Delaware.  During these 40 days, protesters will show up on a daily basis carrying graphic signs, taking pictures or video of patients, and yelling at volunteers and employees.  This kind of vitriol is often discouraging to women who are seeking necessary health care.”  By donating to Pledge-a-Protest, our supporters stand with Planned Parenthood staff, patients, and volunteers to make sure that no matter what protesters are saying or doing, the community continues to support access to high-quality women’s health care.  The whole effort of the campaign is to “turn lemons into lemonade.”

There are two possible ways to pledge: a one time donation, or a daily donation of a chosen denomination for every day of protests.  Last year, the generous donations from supporters helped to raise $20,000.  This year Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s goal is secure $25,000.  To date, $10,146 has been raised in 2013.

“Having to walk through a line of protesters can be very intimidating for the patients we serve.  It can also be disheartening for staff to face daily harassment for the good work Planned Parenthood does,” said Lytle-Barnaby.  “This is why the Pledge-a-Protest campaign is so successful: it allows supporters to take a challenging situation and show how our community stands behind us every day.”

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The mission of Planned Parenthood of Delaware is to ensure the right of all individuals to access the appropriate information and the services necessary to make and act on personal decisions related to their own reproduction, sexuality and health. Planned Parenthood provides family planning, gynecological services, abortion, cancer screening, STD testing and treatment, health education, and more. The agency serves all three counties, has operated in Delaware for more than 80 years, and serves 11,000 clients a year. For further information, check out www.ppdel.org.

Source

Planned Parenthood of Delaware

Contact

Amelia Auner
302.655.7297 (office)
302.507.4694 (cell)

Published

March 07, 2013

Updated

March 08, 2013