Two hours away from Salt Lake City, Utah, is a town called West Wendover, Nevada, with a population of just 4,500. Its location on the state border attracted Planned Parenthood, which is trying to open an abortion facility there — only to face massive pushback from local residents.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte applied for a permit with the West Wendover City Council. That application was denied, only for the mayor to veto the denial. This week, Utah passed a law prohibiting abortion facilities within the state, which makes West Wendover a key target since it’s located on the border with Wendover itself being in Utah. The new law allows for abortions to be committed at hospitals in cases of emergency, though induced abortion — the direct and intentional killing of a preborn child — is never medically necessary. The law will take effect on May 3, at which time abortion clinics will no longer be able to apply to be licensed. A full ban will take effect on January 1, 2024.
Stacy Cross, CEO and president at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, told KSL.com that their facility won’t focus solely on abortion, but bring “much-needed” health care to the area — the same argument Mayor Jasie Holm used in her veto. “When we looked at that site — it’s a site that really needs primary care. They have a critical shortage of primary care providers, so we’re looking forward to providing an entire range of health services, including reproductive and sexual health care,” Cross said.
“Health care has been the No. 1 complaint about living in West Wendover for years. Prenatal care, for instance, usually involves 10-15 visits to the (doctor) during pregnancy,” Holm said on Facebook, according to KSL.com, adding that the Planned Parenthood facility would mean “10 less trips to SLC, 10 less days off work, 10 less time paying for gas and maintenance on your vehicle, 10 less times worrying about road conditions. This could greatly improve the quality of life for this pregnant woman.”
The problem with this argument is that Planned Parenthood provides very little legitimate health care, despite what they often try to claim. The proof of this can be found in the corporation’s own annual reports, which routinely find that its health care services are decreasing, while abortions are increasing.
Holm’s claim that a Planned Parenthood facility would help pregnant women receive prenatal care seems a pipe dream, as the abortion corporation actually provides little to no prenatal care (see Live Action’s investigative video above). After this video aired, Planned Parenthood removed “prenatal care” as a service from most of its clinic website pages.
Even the Washington Post has debunked Planned Parenthood’s false claim — repeated by KSL.com — that abortions make up only a tiny percentage of their business.
Planned Parenthood’s focus is abortion — and West Wendover residents seem to know it, judging by their reaction to the potential abortion facility opening in their backyards. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that residents spoke for hours at the city council meeting about the facility, the majority of whom opposed it.
“If you destroy a rattlesnake egg, you can be prosecuted and spend time in jail because that is considered a rattlesnake,” local pastor Dennis Draves said. “I don’t understand in society why we’ve gotten to the point that (a fetus) is not a human being.”
Editor’s Note 3/18/23: This article was updated with correct information regarding West Wendover’s location and Utah’s new prohibition on abortion businesses.
