GRAND ISLAND – Forty pro-life Central Nebraskans gathered in downtown Grand Island Nov. 21 to peacefully protest an open house event sponsored by Planned Parenthood Advocates of America.
In addition to the open house, Planned Parenthood hosted a “Tri-Cities Policy Summit” Nov. 22 to learn about “policy issues impacting our community” and their “vision for the Tri-Cities,” according to a Facebook event description.
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion business, performing 321,384 abortions in 2016 and more than 1.6 million abortions over the past five years, according to annual reports. In addition, Planned Parenthood performs well over half of the abortions in Nebraska, both surgical and chemical. 
“We oppose the presence of the abortion industry in our area,” said Amanda Frasier, the president of South Central Nebraska Right to Life. “Our counties are absolutely not interested in the vision of a business that profits from the death of children and wounding of women.”
“Women need love and support when they are facing unexpected pregnancies, and our medical community, churches, families, and volunteers at pregnancy resource centers are committed to providing care for them in unexpected situations,” said Andrea Mack, treasurer for Grand Island Right to Life.
A multitude of health care options already exist for women in Central Nebraska. These include pregnancy tests, STD screenings, and other woman-focused health care -- often at no cost or reduced cost.
St. Mary’s Cathedral hosted a day-long prayer service including Eucharistic Adoration from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 22 with Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of Grand Island, presiding at the 3:30 p.m. Benediction.
The purpose of the prayer service, as the diocese’s announcement stated, was to “pray to end abortion in our Nation and to stop the presence of the Planned Parenthood organization from entering the Tri-Cities area.”
