Congregations hold prayer service outside Planned Parenthood clinic
By Emma Claybrook
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ROGERS, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — Multiple congregations gathered to pray in front of the new Planned Parenthood location in Rogers Sunday.
Church members from several denominations gathered at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers.
The group walked from the church one block to the new Planned Parenthood location on Poplar Street.
Sheila Pursell with St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church said Sunday’s prayer service was not a demonstration, but a service to pray for the “end of abortion”.
“Prayer for the end of abortion, prayer for the people that go in there, prayer for people who are confused about their sexual identify and for God’s healing. It was a public witness of prayer. It is important that we stand for our Christian beliefs and we stand for the sacredness and the beauty of human life,” Pursell said.
Two people who support the Planned Parenthood also came to the service to show their support.
Quinn Foster with the group Defend NWA said he thinks the new clinic will help women in Northwest Arkansas.
“It is disappointing that people are choosing to make it a battleground. It is disappointing that people are choosing to make it a spectacle. I think they are a wonderful thing for NWA, and I am grateful to have them here in our community, especially when we talk about reproductive health care in a country that doesn’t have nationalized healthcare,” Foster said.
Planned Parenthood said the Rogers location will provide family planning services, gender-affirming care and other primary care services, but it will not provide abortion services at this time because of the state’s licensure process.
Emily Wales with Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the clinic expects the licensure to be completed by the end of 2021.
Planned Parenthood closed its rented Fayetteville location in 2019 because of security concerns.
Wales said the organization owns the Rogers property, meaning they’ll have more control over the parking lot and security of the facility.
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