Students took part in a demonstration in the MU Student Center on Wednesday morning as part of an anti-abortion organization.
MU sophomore Kristen Wood stood in front of a predominantly pink Planned Parenthood Project display, passing out pink flyers with information against Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy and contraceptive services.
She is on the executive committee of MU’s chapter of Students for Life, a national anti-abortion organization for high school and college students. MU’s chapter has 11 active members, SFL President and senior Kelsey Bolte said.
Bolte said she supports adoption as an alternative to abortion.
“For us to say that even though every clinic is shut down and that means there are going to be no abortions ever, at all, is a little unrealistic at this point. But we want to make abortion not only illegal, but unthinkable,” Bolte said. “We want it to be something that doesn’t cross people’s minds. We educate people on the risks and effects of abortions, even legal ones, and there are many physical and mental effects for years. Those effects are happening now when abortion is legal.”
The demonstration Wednesday morning and afternoon called for ending abortion and educating women about alternatives to the procedure.
MU Students for Life took part in the Planned Parenthood Project, which says Planned Parenthood and the services it offers are deceptive.
“Planned Parenthood’s Business is Abortion,” read one sign.
MU student abortion-rights protesters also attended the demonstration in shifts, tagging each other out by passing on signs. Junior Jenny Herman said she supports Planned Parenthood.
“There is a large sexual culture when you come to college, so Planned Parenthood makes sure that there are sexual health advocates out there,” Herman said.
SFL said in 2013 that 94 percent of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy services were abortions, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2013-14 Annual Report. This figure only counts adoption referrals, prenatal services and abortion services.
When counting pregnancy tests and emergency contraceptives as pregnancy services, however, that number shrinks to 11 percent. According to the same report, only 3 percent of all Planned Parenthood’s services, which include contraception, STI testing, cancer screenings, women’s health and other services, are abortions.
Currently, the only Planned Parenthood clinic in Missouri that provides abortion services is in St. Louis.
According to SFL pamphlets, Planned Parenthood provided faulty birth control to women. Former Planned Parenthood nurse practitioner and current MU nursing instructor Valerie Bader said that is untrue.
“The birth control provided by Planned Parenthood is the same as every other health provider and it is FDA-approved,” Bader said. “While I worked at Planned Parenthood, I did more to prevent abortion in one day than most anti-choice protesters accomplish in a lifetime. How did I accomplish this magnificent feat? I helped women obtain birth control that was aligned with their values and needs.”
Bader said anti-abortion groups are a distraction from the real issue, which is to have healthy families.
“I wish that all women had equal access to effective forms of contraception,” she said. “If we had that, we would end the debate on abortion. What is important for me is for people to plan for children at a time in life where they can be the best parents they can be.”
SFL encourages the use of condoms, but does not officially promote the use of contraceptives or Plan B because, Bolte said, they can cause abortions to occur.
SFL pamphlets said Planned Parenthood’s practices are predatory because they target young, college-age women and low-income women by establishing clinics in low-income neighborhoods within a few miles from college campuses.
Bader said, however, that two-thirds of women who have abortions already have children.
“By and large, it is older women who are done childbearing and have health difficulties,” Bader said.