A New York group has succeeded in preventing a 6,500 square foot Planned Parenthood from opening in a new location at Westfall Medical Park in Brighton.
In an email on January 10, Jeremy Sher, an attorney for the Town of Brighton, wrote, “[W]e received confirmation that Planned Parenthood terminated its lease with Westfall Medical Realty and will not occupy the South Clinton Avenue, Brighton premises…”
According to a press release, Brighton Residents Against Violence (BRAVE) filed a challenge on August 21, 2020, to the approval of the new Planned Parenthood location by the Brighton Planning Board. Linda Mandel Clemente, an attorney for BRAVE, explained that the lawsuit focused on the site plan approval process, which included an alleged lack of a meaningful review by the board on the negative effects that an abortion clinic would have on the neighborhood. It also questioned if surgical facilities were even permitted by the zoning laws, as well as the issues of “waste disposal” and sexual abusers.
READ: Planned Parenthood spent the last year secretly building an Illinois mega-facility
A Victory For Life! Rochester group Succeeds in preventing abortion clinic from opening at new location. (PR in images attached) @LifeNewsHQ @LiveActionNews @WillCleveland13 @GinoFanelli @CitizenMurphy pic.twitter.com/tyyn36Xnpe
— Brighton Residents Against Violence (@BRAVENY2021) January 12, 2022
“As noted by BRAVE and other petitioners in the suit, the Town has yet to study the more insidious secondary effects to community neighborhoods such as sex traffickers loitering outside the clinic while their victims are having abortions, and lewd public displays by some of those traffickers in response to the ‘prolife’ sidewalk advocates,” stated the press release. “Police are often called by Planned Parenthood in response to sidewalk ‘prolife’ advocacy, further burdening the Town resources.”
Ellen Duncan, a citizen of Brighton and a member of Roc Love Will End Abortion, a pro-life advocacy group, said that she and others often peacefully gather at abortion facilities to offer support to women. “Planned Parenthood does not like their business disrupted, and so they frequently call the police,” she confirmed. “It makes sense that other medical personnel in Westfall Medical Park do not want that kind of chaos.”
The press release further states that since the location is within the vicinity of a Catholic school, a Muslim mosque, and a playground, the board should have had “heightened concern” about the presence of an abortion business.
In addition, BRAVE questioned the effects of the at-home DIY abortion pill on the town’s wastewater treatment system. The birth control pill is said to have had deleterious effects on the nation’s waterways — including tap water — and it is possible that the abortion pill would as well. In addition, human remains would be flushed down toilets after their mothers take the abortion pill. The organization argued that every Brighton citizen should have access to clean water.
Carol Crossed, a member of BRAVE, said that the pro-life victory is thanks to the dialogue among community members and Brighton officials. Over a period of seven months, 62 different individuals appeared before the Brighton Planning Board and Brighton Town Board members 127 times at scheduled town meetings to encourage them not to allow Planned Parenthood to set up shop in their town. Volunteers also spent six weekends knocking on doors throughout the community to educate others. These are the types of grassroots effort that Crossed attributes to the win.
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