ROGERS, Ark. — A flyer has been circulating on social media saying that Planned Parenthood is likely reopening in Northwest Arkansas at 1222 West Poplar Street in Rogers.
Planned Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) officials say they chose to leave its Fayetteville location in 2019 due to challenges that posed concerns for the safety of its patients and staff.
Since then, PPGP says it has been searching for a larger location to meet growing patient demand and to address the lack of access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care within the area.
In an update, PPGP wrote, "Our mission is to provide high-quality health care services to patients across the state of Arkansas, and we are thrilled to reinvest, reaffirm, and rebuild our commitment to our patients and the Northwest Arkansas community. The PPGP team couldn’t be prouder to reopen our doors in Northwest Arkansas to help area residents access affordable, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care, no matter what."
Sheila Pursell is the director for NWA Respect Life and started a petition to let city leaders know they do not want Planned Parenthood to come here.
“Planned Parenthood is bad for Rogers. It’s bad for Northwest Arkansas. We’ve been very not to have them here for a while and we don’t want them back,” said Pursell.
The only Planned Parenthood location in our area closed its’ doors in July of 2019 after losing its lease on Crossover Road in Fayetteville. Since then, Planned Parenthood has said they were committed to serving patients in Northwest Arkansas.
The chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, Nicole Hart says the services planned parenthood provides are extremely important.
“Whenever I think of Planned Parenthood, I think of all the things it provides and I’m happy to know that it’s coming there because I know that there are certain people all across the state who don’t have access to health care,” said Hart.
The City of Rogers says there is an open permit for this address on Poplar Street but the name on the permit is under ‘Rogers Health Center.’ 5News reached out to Planned Parenthood who would not confirm or deny they were moving into the location in Rogers but said remain committed to providing care in Northwest Arkansas.
Pursell says they are hoping to collect thousands of signatures they plan to take to city leaders and the school board to let them know they do not want planned parenthood to open here.
“We do not want an abortion center that’s destroying the unborn up to five months of pregnancy, 450 feet from a school. Right around the corner from the second largest Catholic Church in the state. Planned Parenthood is not welcome here,” said Pursell.
Hart says it’s unfortunate that healthcare and access are politized in a way that people get misinformation. She says the Democratic Party will continue to fight for access to healthcare.
“That’s what we really have to do is educate people about the importance of access and allowing folks to make their decisions on their own and not be forced to make a decision because somebody else feels their personal opinion matters more than their health,” Hart said.
Benton and Washington Counties and the City of Springdale all passed resolutions becoming pro-life cities and counties. The first to do that was Springdale in August of 2019.