Many people are numb to and far removed from the euphemism “Planned Parenthood” since its founding over 100 years ago in 1916. The obsession with “reproductive freedom” ignores Planned Parenthood’s underlying origins based on Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger’s eugenic philosophy specifically targeting minority areas, particularly Black Americans. African Americans made up 38% of all abortions tracked by the CDC in 2016.  In Texas, 31% of abortions are from Black Americans and 36% from Hispanic Americans, according to a KFF 2022 study.   

Abortion hurts minority communities, and when I heard about the Planned Parenthood donor banquet, I knew that there needed to be a solid presence to counter Sanger’s eugenics-rooted organization. Representatives from 40 Days for Life and Eagles for Life at the University of North Texas joined together to protest. As always, we were greeted with disregard for human life from bystanders and unexpected disregard for the law by police officers.   

As I walked to the event venue, Bass Hall, from my parking spot, the Eagles for Life President pulled up next to me with a student who was troubled about a bad police officer interaction. When Students for Life of America (SFLA) protests, we ensure we follow the law and look up local ordinances beforehand. Police officers didn’t even know their regulations. He explained that they checked out the laws beforehand and read it was acceptable to use sidewalk chalk if it wasn’t permanent. However, a police officer stopped the Eagles for Life member, questioned her, and told her that her actions were illegal.   

When the students read him the law, he said, “What are you, a lawyer?”   

We expect law enforcement to behave in a respectable manner and know the laws they’re enforcing. This officer did neither. He told the student to leave, or he would write a police report.  

Police should be a neutral third party enforcing the law, not taking sides. This officer wasn’t a fan of ours so much that he would disregard the law he swore to uphold.   
 
We weren’t going to let this interaction stop us. I took the students’ signs and went to Bass Hall to continue the protest. I put the signs on the ground while waiting for the rest of the students to arrive. I peacefully held one that said, “PP’s CEO makes $125-620k. They don’t need your money. #defundplannedparenthood.”   

The next thing I knew, a different police officer told me I couldn’t put the signs on the ground due to a Fort Worth law, stating:  

“It shall be unlawful for any person to enclose, build upon or make any other private use of any part of the street, sidewalk or other right-of-way, without first obtaining the express authorization of the city.”  

Is putting signs on the ground in one pile against that ordinance? When I asked him if I could put down my cup of water, he said no. It seemed odd, so I started to record him for documentation. His tone changed. He referred to it as a courtesy warning and talked to Bass Hall security and officers. After he took pictures of us and made a call, he hugged a staff member helping with the Planned Parenthood banquet, and it was clear to me that he wasn’t on the side of the law.     

  
As people went inside, we would ask them to read our signs, and I would ask them if they knew that a eugenicist started Planned Parenthood. One lady screamed profanities, and others shook their heads. One man straight up said he didn’t care if an organization purposefully wanted to kill Black people, minorities, and those with disabilities.  

  
The event was truly dark. It gave me the same eerie feeling of standing outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility. The act of abortion is brutal and devastating, but something is stomach-churning about people celebrating it while officers gave us difficulty in peacefully protesting while obeying the law. While some of them purposely made faces or even gave us the finger, I could tell some were reading our signs with genuine curiosity. I hope that amid all the pushback, we still planted some seeds to expose the truth.  

That’s how changing minds and hearts start. Morgan Reece, an intern with SFLA, changed her mind about abortion after seeing a simple social media post. People’s minds change after witnessing a debate video from Kristian Hawkins.

Though the odds seem stacked against the pro-life movement, the small and big things we do plant a seed. None of it is done without reward. I’m glad we went and stood up for all babies, regardless of race.   

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