San Antonio Citizens Take Action against Illegal Planned Parenthood Facility
Wednesday night Texas Values Action Policy Analyst Nicole Hudgens joined nearly 100 San Antonio Citizens who spoke at a City Council meeting against the city’s allowance of a Planned Parenthood clinic to be illegally built near a residential area.
According to the current city laws, an Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC), like Planned Parenthood, is not permitted to be in a C-1 zone. C-1 zoning is for buildings such as neighborhood restaurants, florists, barber shops, and small medical office buildings such a pediatric clinics or dentist offices. The maximum square footage allowed for a C-1 buildings is 5,000 square feet and surgery is not permitted to take place in these buildings.
However, Planned Parenthood was permitted by the city to purchase 22,300 square feet of office space near Dreamhill Estates, a residential neighborhood. That’s over four times the square footage permitted. The Planned Parenthood clinic has been renovated and is now open and operating 50 feet from residential homes.
Now, in order to cover the mistake, the City Council is proposing a redefinition of ASCs so that they may be placed in C-1 zones. This is to accommodate the illegally built Planned Parenthood clinic. The redefinition will impact every C-1 zoning area in the city and could allow more clinics, like Planned Parenthood, in residential areas.
Last night’s City Council meeting included testimony from concerned residents in Dreamhill Estate who said the traffic has increased, “No Parking” signs have been placed in their neighborhood, and their once harmonious neighborhood has been divided with controversy because of the clinic.
Our friends at San Antonio Family Association are working hard to inform San Antonio residents and the City Council of the lawlessness and dangers of the Planned Parenthood building.
Just this spring, former Planned Parenthood workers testified to seeing aborted children being put down a drain into a sewer system. Not only is this facility a threat of residents, due to circumstances and lawlessness on how the clinic came about, no woman can walk through the door with the assurance that she will be safe as well.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on December 17th to redefine ASCs. We urge every resident in San Antonio to contact their City Council member and urge them to VOTE NO on the ASC Amendment!