Planned Parenthood’s Dubuque Move Concerns Picketers

By Katie Wiedemann, Reporter

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Sep 1, 2011 at 6:23 PM CDT

Story Updated: Sep 1, 2011 at 6:24 PM CDT

DUBUQUE, Iowa — This week, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced that the organization is moving into a new building, and that’s causing a controversy in Dubuque.

Picketers standing in front of Dubuque’s Planned Parenthood is a familiar sight along Central Avenue. Picketers stand on the public sidewalk often within an arms length of patients arriving to the center.

Planned Parenthood directors admit that this is one of the reasons they’re moving to a new location. Jill June, with Planned Parenthood, said, “We had more than 1,000 patients at the Planned Parenthood in Dubuque last year. And it was very clear that patients were very disturbed by the bullying.” But that’s expected to change at the new location. The distance between patients and picketers is far greater.

Picketers worry that the new building could mean new services, like offering prescriptions of Mifepristone which is often referred to as RU-486 or the abortion pill. “They are now going to be doing telemed abortions, it’s a done deal. They can spin it however they want to,” said Dubuque County Right To Life Executive Director Steve Brody.

June said, “The services that we provide at the new facility will be the services that people express the need for. I won’t know for sure what the needs of our patients will be.”

As for the picketers, there’s a new building, but it’s the same message. Brody said, “Not everyone buys into the lies that you perpetrate upon the community that you are this wholesome organization that does wonderful good. We know better.”

The Planned Parenthood clinic in Dubuque currently does not perform abortions.