The increasingly contentious abortion debate sparked dueling rallies and protests in cities across the country on Saturday. Anti-abortion groups stormed Planned Parenthood clinics in major cities around the U.S., while their counterparts flocked to various public spaces to stand in solidarity with Planned Parenthood.
The pro-choice protests come amid fears that President Trump will cut the $500 million in annual funding that Planned Parenthood receives from the government. “All across the country, Planned Parenthood supporters are taking it upon themselves to organize in their communities on their own," Kelley Robinson of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Support, said in a statement, Saturday.
Among those supporters was Sharon Caldwell, who attended the St. Louis protest in support of Planned Parenthood. She was there because Planned Parenthood “were the only people that cared” after she was raped, NPR reports. “They were just like, 'A terrible thing happened. Here's how we support you."
Protesters took to social media, using the hashtag #standwithpp to show stunning scenes from the various marches and rallies.
One of the more powerful images featured a veteran holding a sign that read “I didn’t sweat and bleed in Afghanistan fighting to give people rights only to have my wife and daughters lose their rights here at home!!!”
Other supporters pointed out that Planned Parenthood doesn’t just administer abortions, but that it also provides STD tests, birth control, and education about safe sex practices.
Check out more scenes from the #standwithpp protests below.
