PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Anti-abortion protesters gathered outside the Planned Parenthood center in Northeast Portland Saturday morning, part of a nationwide rally over federal funding to the organization.

A relatively equal number of anti-abortion protesters and supporters of Planned Parenthood stood with placards outside the Portland location, 3727 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in a peaceful but loud exercise of free speech.

The group’s message today was to for the government to defund Planned Parenthood and stop abortions.

“Between 7 to 10 weeks, when most of these abortions actually happen, they have incredible development,” Aubrianne Trout with Oregon Right to Life said. “They are sensitive to touch, light and sound.”

Signs quoting Scripture and others with messages about regret — “Men regret lost fatherhood” and “Women do regret abortions” — were held by anti-abortion activists.

One sign-holding activist yelled, “We’re not all just a bunch of dirty hippies out here. Some of us are retired professionals, not just the dirty people down there,” indicating the Planned Parenthood supporters.

Despite being encouraged by the local Planned Parenthood chapter to stay away, dozens of supporters stood in front of the front door and chanted, “Pro-Life? That’s a lie. They don’t care if women die.”

“I’m here because this organization deserves to have defenders in this community who deserve to have health car for all,” Planned Parenthood supporter Alexa Altman said.

This 90-minute event was one of 2 in Oregon. The ProtestPP website said anti-abortion activists gathered outside the Eugene-Springfield Health Center in Eugene.

The ProtestPP rallies were expected in 45 states on Saturday.

“This organization provides basic rights for low income women, women of color and transgender women that are necessary to support the livelihood of this community,” Altman said.

In a statement issued after the protest, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette President-CEO Stacy Cross said this local chapter provides 72,000 patient visits for women, men and young people looking for affordable reproductive health care.

“These protests are designed to shame the patients who seek basic healthcare services from Planned Parenthood and to intimidate the healthcare professionals who work here. Women should be able to get health care without fear of violence, harassment or intimidation,” Cross said.

“Defunding” Planned Parenthood, she said, is a misnomer.

“There is no blank check that Planned Parenthood gets from the federal government, and it’s not in the budget. Instead, the legislation prevents millions of women who rely on Medicaid from accessing the healthcare provider they’ve been depending on for decades. This policy also has nothing to do with abortion – it instead cuts women off from cancer screenings, birth control, and HIV and STI testing and treatment.”

A Quinnipiac poll taken between January 20-25, 2017 showed 62% of voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood.Global Gag Rule

In one of his first executive orders, President Donald Trump reinstated and expanded a policy that threatens to cut all U.S. funding from any foreign health provider that discusses abortion as a family planning method, even though American dollars are not used for abortion services.

The Mexico City Policy, otherwise known as the Global Gag Rule, was enacted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Since then, presidents have played political volleyball by reinstating and rescinding the policy early on in their terms. President Barack Obama most recently rescinded the Global Gag Rule in 2009.

Trump is the first president to expand the policy, making it applicable to any foreign department or agency that receives U.S. health aid, not just family planning groups.