ORLANDO, Fla. — Anti-abortion activists protested at more than a dozen Planned Parenthood facilities across Florida, including some in Orlando, on Saturday.
State health officials recently inspected 16 Planned Parenthood facilities and said three were performing unlicensed second-trimester abortions.
Planned Parenthood disputed the finding, saying the state changed its definition of how they measure first-trimester.
Photos: Protests outside Planned Parenthood
The investigation ordered by Republican Gov. Rick Scott mirrors similar probes in other states after stealthily recorded videos showed Planned Parenthood officials discussing how they provide aborted fetal organs for research. The organization has said it does not profit from tissue donations and that those programs exist in only a handful of states.
The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates released a statement in response to the protests, saying, in part, “These political attacks claiming that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation are simply not true. While we do not have donations programs in Florida, some Planned Parenthood organizations in other states do, and they follow all laws and ethical guidelines.”
Abortion opponents say the videos show the organization is illegally harvesting and selling organs.
“The hearts and consciences of the American people have pricked and the moral fiber of this country is in position now,” said Michele Herzog of Pro-Life Ministries of Central Florida.
Investigations in Massachusetts, Georgia, Indiana and South Dakota found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The Pro-life Action Ministries held a prayer vigil in front of the Planned Parenthood on Tampa Avenue in Orlando. Hundreds of protesters held up signs and gathered outside the facility.