Protestors Rally Outside Indianapolis Planned Parenthood Clinic

INDIANAPOLIS -- More than a hundred people gathered Tuesday  outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Indianapolis, joining other rallies around the state and the country in a call to cut off federal funding from the reproductive health care provider. 

The renewed push to defund Planned Parenthood comes in the wake of a series of videos that allegedly shows the organization’s officials discussing the sale of tissue from aborted fetuses.  In a statement, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky spokesperson Tammy Lieber says the group does not participate in any tissue donation programs and complies with all laws and regulations.  And, she notes, 93 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are for preventative care and that 67,000 Hoosiers rely on the organization for health care. 

But Indiana Right to Life lobbyist Sue Swayze says Planned Parenthood can’t hide behind what she calls the lie that the group is about helping women.

“We have plenty of low-cost, low-income health care, at least in the state of Indiana," Swayze said. "We have county clinics, low-income clinics, federally-funded clinics; we have private sector clinics.”

Several of Indiana’s federal lawmakers – including Sen. Dan Coats – have joined the call to defund Planned Parenthood.  Many state lawmakers – including Sens. Brent Waltz and Mike Delph, who were at the rally – have backed Gov. Mike Pence’s move to investigate the organization.