Print
Email Story
PASCO -- Some Tri-Citians say they aren't ready to take the Pasco City Council's decision to allow a new Planned Parenthood clinic as the final word in the debate.
A grass-roots group from various faiths and backgrounds that's calling itself the Society of Saint Gianna Molla is considering appealing the decision -- even though it's not yet final.
Suzie Murphy of Kennewick said the group believes the council members overlooked the wishes of citizens when they voted 5-2 to grant a special permit for the proposed Court Street health clinic.
The permit initially had been denied by the city's planning commission but Planned Parenthood appealed.
Pasco City Manager Gary Crutchfield said Wednesday that anyone can file an appeal, but he said that they will have to wait until the council takes formal action on the resolution Dec. 7.
This week, the council members directed city staff to draft a resolution approving the permit.
Murphy said the opponents are questioning whether the legal process was correctly followed.
She said the group hopes to receive legal help from the national pro-life organization Priests for Life. The organization, based in New York, could not be reached by the Herald on Wednesday for comment.
The group's name, Society of Saint Gianna Molla, refers to a Catholic saint who died while giving birth to her daughter.
Under the city's code, a permit can be denied if it conflicts with the city's comprehensive plan, adversely affects public infrastructure, won't be in harmony with the area's character, will discourage other development in the neighborhood or will endanger public health and safety.
Murphy argues that when considering Pasco's Hispanic and Catholic communities, the clinic would not fit with the area's character.
More than 600 people participated Oct. 25 in a Life Chain protest against abortion on Court Street. Similar protests would occur should the clinic open, and they would create disruptions, she said.
Planned Parenthood has said the clinic will not provide abortions but will offer family planning, cancer testing and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It is scheduled to open in the spring.
Murphy, however, claims Planned Parenthood is detrimental to public health because abortions and contraceptive use can have severe side effects on the physical and emotional health of women. Contraceptives are another form of abortion, she said.
She said the group also worries that "once the clinic is there, they can do what they want to."
In addition, she said, increased traffic from the clinic will make the street unsafe for children who attend nearby Mark Twain Elementary School.
Murphy said the group also is concerned about a possible conflict of interest because Crutchfield made personal donations to Planned Parenthood in 2007 and 2008.
But Crutchfield maintains that because he is not an elected decision-maker, his personal charitable donations are not a legal issue.
Crutchfield agreed the clinic issue is sensitive. He said the city has to balance the right of citizens to believe as they do with the right of property owners to use their property as permitted by law.
At Monday's meeting, Councilwoman Rebecca Francik said the council couldn't put personal beliefs before the law.
When the city denied a Sunderland Family Treatment Services application in 1993 based on neighborhood opinion, the city lost at the state Supreme Court. Sunderland had applied for a permit to operate an eight-bed teen crisis center.
In the end, the city had to pay $60,000 to $70,000 in court costs for the city and Sunderland.
Karl Eastlund, chief operating officer for Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, said the organization's lawyers are prepared to ensure the project will proceed.
Statistics show that Franklin County needs the services the clinic will offer, he said. He believes most Pasco residents will welcome the clinic.
-- Kristi Pihl: 509-582-1512; kpihl@tricityherald.com
